Sustainable meets the city with Heller Street Park and Residences

Heller Street Park and Residences in Melbourne’s Brunswick area is an impressive residential project that unites contemporary inner-city living with open public parklands.

Formerly the site of a rubbish tip, the Heller Street development represents a new model of medium density housing that utilises disused, contaminated land for public and private use.

Designed and developed by Six Degrees Architects, alongside the local council, the former rubbish tip was transformed into a new public park with ten three-storey townhouses at its rear, meaning that the residents get a huge front yard that is conveniently maintained by the council.

Awarded the 2012 AIA (Victoria) Award for Sustainable Architecture as well as the 2012 AIA (Victoria) Award Best Overend Award for Residential Architecture, the project made timber an integral element of the project’s interior and exterior design, so as to naturally regulate heat.

The building’s form is treated as a whole, with the contours of each townhouse separated by deep window reveals and an exposed timber stair.

Recycled ironbark was used in differing widths and shapes across the building’s facade, providing a durable yet contemporary finish that allows the building to settle into its natural park setting.

The development also boasts a semi basement for use as a garage, with the dug-up soil mounded on a section of the park area in a ‘bowl shape’ and covered in grass.

Landscaped by Simon Taylor Landart, the unique bowl shaped area allows privacy from the street, assists in water retention and allows park-goers to differentiate between the private dwellings and public park area.