Gregory Place
Type
Live
Use
Build to Rent Affordable Housing
Year
2014-ongoing
Location
Parramatta, NSW
Client
Pacific Community Housing
Hallmark
Design Team
Frank Stanisic
Jason Nowosad
Seugnèt Viljoen
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Collaborators
Yerrabingin
Alec Tzannes
Illustrations
Mark Gerada
Stanisic Architects
The vision for the development is to create a breathing, living environment that is responsive to the sun, light, air, and outlook that complements its residential parkland setting and rich cultural history - a place for everyone.
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The existing site is blighted industrial land that has the potential to be made much better in many respects. The proposed development is a large project that is embedded in being different to its context, while also being compatible. Most importantly, the site can better Connect with Country.
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The site is located within a rich cultural landscape that has been occupied for many thousands of years and physically transformed following colonialisation and later with multiculturalism. It has evolved into a distinctive place that is a special sub-precinct that is defined by a parkland landscape to the north, stormwater channel to the south with only one street frontage.
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The existing industrial uses on the site are now redundant and there is an opportunity to rejuvenate it for diverse residential occupation to take advantage of its prime location and excellent amenity. In doing so, there is an added responsibility to balance the relationship between density and social outcomes - economics, environment, and social benefits. Density should be located on good land with good amenity to contain urban sprawl where it can be offset by creating a high-quality and connected public domain.
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The site is currently occupied by a disused pharmaceutical factory and hardstand area occupying 83% of the site area forming a backdrop to Hambledon Cottage. It is encircled by a chain wire fence and is inaccessible to the community.
The proposal comprises three freestanding building forms that are arranged in an orthogonal layout of five fingers embedded within a parkland setting of courts and passages. The ground plane seeks to maximise permeable pedestrian movement to enable physical and visual connections to the rich cultural landscape setting. The buildings are located within a landscaped setting, where approximately 50% of the ground plane is communal open space, extending the adjacent open spaces onto the site.
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A new publicly accessible channel walk will connect Experiment Farm and Elizabeth Farm.
