To cater for post-covid hybrid and remote working needs, Sydney-based developer Billbergia has revealed plans for a $170m mixed-use development at Chatswood on Sydney’s lower North Shore.
Comprising a small office home office (SOHO) element, the proposed Chatswood development, dubbed Chatswood Towers, expects to capitalise on the number of Australians now working from home at least part of the week, which according to ABS data is at around 40%.
Billbergia development director Rick Graf expects the developer’s Soho strategy to give apartment buyers the option to also buy office space within a shared podium in the precinct.
“We’re confident with the work we’ve done that there is a demand for this—and we’re sure it will be followed by many,” Graf said.
“We’ve also got more study spaces within each apartment for people who will just have their apartment and do their work from home internally… for those who want to set up a more serious ongoing structure of hybrid working, the mix of facilities in the building will give them the opportunity to do that.”
While Billbergia is renowned for its urban renewal projects on the Wentworth Point and Rhodes peninsulas, Chatwood Towers marks the developer’s entrée into the North Shore market.
Subject to DA approval construction is expected to commence in late 2024.
Work, rest & play
In addition to flexible SOHO style live/work offerings, the podium will also include a diverse mix of uses, including retail, and commercial showrooms.
The proposed development is also expected to incorporate a 70-place childcare centre, plus communal facilities, including an outdoor swimming pool, landscaped communal areas, and private open rooftop spaces.
“This exciting new project will feature innovative live-work typologies and deliver critically needed new housing along with next-generation commercial spaces. It will be a dynamic, highly liveable, and activated precinct upon completion,” said Saul Moran, development director planning and design at Billbergia.
“A combination of residential apartments, vibrant retail laneways, communal open spaces, childcare and dedicated co-working facilities will shape this revolutionary new development as a well-connected and highly liveable place.”
Sustainable design
Designed by PBD Architects – at 8 Wilson Street on the northern tip of the Chatswood CBD – Chatswood Towers is expected to deliver 251 apartments across two slender 27-storey towers, which rise above a two-storey commercial podium.
The project is expected to incorporate numerous leading sustainability features designed to reduce project’s overall environmental impact.
Paul Buljevic managing director of PBD Architects notes the strong emphasis on sustainability within the overall design.
“An ensemble of slender tower forms shift to address each prominent corner… each pod has been carefully articulated to respond to environmental consideration through the use of materiality, detailing and architectural expression,” said Buljevic.
The lighter, sand-coloured façade will cover the building’s western side, minimising heat absorption and maintaining thermal comfort for residents, while a darker copper-coloured façade will face the eastern side in order to minimise glare and capture warmth from the early-morning sun.”
The new development will also incorporate:
- Rainwater harvesting.
- The podium’s landscaped areas will act as an additional thermal buffer.
- Rooftop gardens to reduce rainwater runoff and provide additional insulation.
- Solar photovoltaic panels.
Images: Artist’s impressions: Billbergia
