Ten two-storey rental lofts are also simple in approach. They favour clean, unprogrammed open space over customary condo unit features that may not deliver a full benefit when reduced in size to fit within ever-decreasing suite areas. Ultimately, the lofts at 294 Richmond Street East offer greater flexibility and greater access to natural light and views within typical residential space standards. The limited size of the floor plan encouraged a more three- dimensional approach to spatial organisation, creating a building that is compact and efficient. The final arrangement is a series of vertically stacked and interlocked spaces which include open roof decks connected to the top loft units by striking, angular stair towers. Although simplicity may have been a design goal, the construction of the building on such a small site did not come without its share of complications. In order to minimise cost and construction complexity, primary building elements were modular and prefabricated off-site. The structure is a steel frame
with precast concrete floor slabs. The window-wall and precast concrete cladding were also pre-manufactured and hoisted into position in modular assemblies. The lack of a construction staging area presented material scheduling and site accessibility challenges. Although the floor plate of the building is small, the structure was built in two phases, east and west, to provide at least some staging space on the site for most of the construction period. * 294 Richmond East is a building that has made the most of a small parcel of land on an important and highly visible corner in the city. It provides much needed vitality to an area that is, just now, experiencing a positive regeneration. Although the development potential of this small site has been maximised, the building is appropriately scaled to the neighbourhood in its height, and to the block in its engagement with the street. The limitations of this small isolated property have led to a strong building that makes an important contribution to the city. v
developer and owner: CTL Group design: Sweeny Sterling Finlayson &Co Architects architectural team: Dermot Sweeny, John Gillanders, Peter Kurkjian, Marco VanderMaas, Julia Knezic, Holly Saplamaeff engineers:
structural: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited mechanical and electrical: Jain and Associates Limited geotechnical: Terraprobe
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On Site review 23 Small Things
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