Ashmore
Down the rabbit hole we go...
The Ashmore Estate is one of the largest precincts identified for urban renewal within the City of Sydney Local Government Area with the redevelopment resulting in approximately 1,400 new dwellings, new retail floor space and public domain works.
The purpose of the competitive design process is to select the highest quality architectural, urban design and landscape design solution for the residential development of Blocks A and D of the Ashmore Estate, located at 57 Ashmore Street, Erskineville.
Modern Day Alice
Drawing on the historic juxtaposition of scales of the factories with the terraces, the design integrates the concept of shifting perspectives and scale in its form, architectural fenestration and articulation, and public to private realm journey.
Overscale elements juxtaposed against the small in scale to provide an overriding principle when developing the detail of the design. The discovery of the hidden garden, and the introverted and extroverted spatial characters have also been taken as integral to the DNA of the design principles, informing the development of the design.
These two conceptual drivers when combined generated the umbrella narrative of the buildings being for a modern day Alice in Wonderland; an adventurous spirit with an inquisitive heart.
A bespoke approach was taken to the graphic treatment of the submission entry in response, with an emphasis on evocative and playful collage which reinforced the underlying themes of whimsy, discovery and delight.
In addition to the overall submission document a site specific identity and wayfinding system was also generated to support a considered and holistic response.
The identity abstractly drew reference from the oversized entry portals to the scheme, picking up on the shifting scales of the architecture, while also playing to the Alice doorway/keyhole theme and intentionally morphing into a stylised “A” from Ashmore.
