Dutch Designer Makes Aussie Debut with Bayside Build

Dutch designer Studio Piet Boon has made its first foray into Australia with 15 high-end apartments across a low-rise, three-level development in Melbourne’s well-heeled Brighton neighbourhood.

The international studio—founded in 1983 by Piet Boon and Marin Meyn in Oostzaan, north of Amsterdam—was encouraged to work in Australia by Jacmax Developments managing director Trent Skurrie.

“I'd always been a lover of Piet’s work and I’ve always thought he had this real ethos of everything being in harmony,” Skurrie said.

“And I think Brighton with the water, and our site with the park across the road, and Church Street and everything that comes with that, I just thought the harmony idea was very interesting.

“We approached them, and as you imagine—a high-end international architect—we weren’t sure they’d be interested in coming to Australia to do a project like this. 

“We were really lucky.”

Studio Piet Boon will collaborate with architects Cera Stribley and landscape designers Myles Baldwin Design.

▲ The 15 apartments will range in size from 152 to 399 square metres.

Together they’ve come up with a mix of two and three-bedroom apartments, plus three townhouses of around 300sq m each.

Jacmax put together the 2300-sq-m property at 28-30 Boxshall Street with eight acquisitions over about 18 months, including six apartments, a neighbouring property as well as a council-owned laneway. Skurrie said they paid between $12 million and $14 million for the parcel.

Jacmax won development approval in June last year and will break ground later this month. Melbourne-based Coben have been named as the builders. 

The project, to be known as Boxshall, has a gross realisation of $60 million, with the 15 apartments ranging from 152 sq m to 399 square metres.

Prices range from $2.49 million for two bedrooms up to $4 million for the biggest three-bedroom. Penthouses are priced from $5.745 million to about $7 million.

Skurrie said contracts had been completed on the sale of two apartments with another three on reserve.

“We've been really overwhelmed by the interest in the project,” he said.  “It’s obviously a difficult and interesting property market at the moment and I think there's a level of nervousness with buying off the plan.

“It has probably taken a lot longer to get people from a level of interest to actually signing contracts.”

▲ Studio Piet Boon’s Mountain Villa Aspen in the US.