Loftus Lane comprises the redevelopment of two city blocks in the heart of Sydney. Our building, containing 36 apartments, is one of seven buildings to be either restored or rebuilt. Given the relatively small scale of the building and the collection of diverse buildings planned and currently located around it, our approach has been to produce a building with a singular identity, yet one with a movement that enables each apartment to respond to it’s specific location.
Maximisation of view, sun, outlook, interaction and privacy takes place via subtle manipulation of the scale and orientation of openings, accordingly the result is a concept of incremental transition. The building will step gradually in and out, approximating the allowable building envelope, whilst opening sizes grow from the base upwards.
The outcome is a building which transforms horizontally and vertically from one typology to another through a series of incremental transitions in building form, material and aperture. At it’s base the building appears as a solid form with subtracted openings, similar in language to it’s historical context. Rising vertically and to the North the structure becomes finer, the openings larger towards Macquarie Place Park and Sydney Harbour. The transition being gradual in it’s motion preserves a singular, whole building identity, yet permits each apartment to respond and take best advantage of it’s place within the building and it’s relationship with the city.
