Northern Rivers BTR forms the second of the NSW Government’s current pilot projects for build to rent housing, as defined by the SEPP Housing 2021. It has been designed as an exemplar project and to be reproducible and scalable to a variety of sites. It responds to a forward thinking brief from Landcom, that includes high levels of universal access, housing diversity and a large proportion of affordable housing. It also forms an important contribution to the development of further infrastructure in regional NSW.

A number of site planning and building envelope options were explored with the client. This led to dual north facing buildings, organised around a central courtyard spine and rain garden, inspired by the local topography and hydrology of Lismore. Central to the design approach was the importance of a built form, scale and materiality appropriate to Lismore and the Northern Rivers regional character and climate. The project establishes a new benchmark for design quality, resident amenity and environmental performance including water sensitive urban and landscape design, in the build-to-rent and affordable housing sectors.

Key metrics:

100% rental housing (20% affordable)

100% diverse housing

78% universal access

76% cross ventilation reducing reliance on air-conditioning

80% solar access for 3 hours in winter

100% of high value retention trees preserved

31% deep soil

Client: Landcom

Architecture and Interiors: St Clair Architecture

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Project Leader: Voy Taskovski

Documentation Leader: Gonzalo Gonzalez (Aardvarch)

Statutory Planning: Damian Chapelle (Newton Denny Chapelle)

Engineering Services: Michael Rickert (ADP)

Landscape Design: Martin Pell (Sprout Studio)

Bomaderry BTR forms the first of the NSW Government’s current pilot projects for build to rent housing, as defined by the SEPP Housing 2021. It has been designed as an exemplar project and to be reproducible and scalable to a variety of sites. It responds to a forward thinking brief from Landcom, that includes high levels of universal access, housing diversity and a large proportion of affordable housing. It also forms an important contribution to the development of further infrastructure in regional NSW.

A number of site planning and building envelope options were explored with the client. This led to a dual building concept, with each building being made up of a series of smaller village like buildings gathered around a central courtyard, inspired by the local billabongs of Bomaderry Creek. Central to the design approach was the importance of a built form, scale and materiality appropriate to Bomaderry and the South Coast. The project establishes a new benchmark for design quality, resident amenity and environmental performance in the build-to-rent and affordable housing sectors.

Key metrics:

100% rental housing (20% affordable)

15% diverse housing

75% universal access

95% cross ventilation reducing reliance on air-conditioning

73% solar access for 3 hours in winter

85% of high value retention trees preserved

30% deep soil

Client: Landcom

Architecture and Interiors: St Clair Architecture

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Project Leader: Voy Taskovski

Documentation Leader: Gonzalo Gonzalez (Aardvarch)

Landscape Design: Stuart Scobie (Edmiston Jones)

Statutory Planning: Michael Rodger (Urbanco)

This landmark site in Surry Hills was formerly the home of a petrol station dating back to the 1930’s and has been the subject of several development proposals. The narrow width of the site (12m) challenged previous teams to find a commercially viable solution that also achieved suitable daylighting, solar access, outlook and ventilation. Peter led the successful design competition and the Scott Carver team responsible for the concept design and now approved development application which will provide 29 elevated terrace house and SOHO style apartments that incorporate work/home style accommodation. The building acts as a new gateway into the St Margarets Hospital Precinct of Surry Hills providing ground level retail and cafes focused around a north facing public garden courtyard. The building design responds to the existing heritage neighbourhood including face and glazed brickwork that references the surrounding terrace house and hotels. Breezeways and a communal roof garden provide further green space for residents. An innovative planning solution achieves dual frontage to most apartments allowing excellent natural daylighting, solar access and cross ventilation providing high quality interior spaces and reducing reliance on air conditioning.

Winner of design competition

Environmental award - UDIA Six Leaf EnviroDevelopment

Client: Avid Property Group

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

Landscape design: Scott Carver

Statutory planning: Urbis

Interiors: SJB

This competition winning design provides 80 affordable housing apartments close to where they are most needed by key workers, near to public institutions such as the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The building forms a new gateway to the Harold Park precinct by Mirvac and a transition in scale, materiality and street character between the adjacent Forest Lodge Conservation Precinct and Mirvac’s new higher-rise development. A hybrid floor plan provides single storey and cross-over apartments allowing dual outlooks and excellent cross ventilation and solar access reducing power bills in winter and retaining comfortable conditions in summer where air-conditioning is not provided by the housing provider. A roof garden and courtyard entrance from the street provide a sense of place, communal play spaces and vegetable gardens. Peter led the Scott Carver team, working closely with the client and the City of Sydney workshopping a variety of solutions that would deliver the client’s accommodation needs whilst satisfying built form, neighbouring amenity and heritage objectives.

Winner of Design Competition

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

Islands is situated on a spectacular site at South Coogee Beach just south of Fremantle in Western Australia. The competition winning design provides 100 luxury beach houses, apartments & penthouses across four sites each separated by pedestrian laneways leading to the beach. Buildings are organised around beach facing courtyards each protected from the prevailing south west winds by beach houses flanking the laneways. Each site is staggered to promote north facing outlooks towards Fremantle and winter solar access. All apartments are provided with a dual frontage allowing for east, west and laneway facing loggias and private courtyards. The project established a new benchmark for quality and environmental performance and commanded the highest sale prices per square metre in Western Australia history.

Winner of national design competition

Winner of Australian Institute of Architects Award

Winner of UDIA award for environmental excellence

Role: Design Leader + Principal

Architecture by Architectus

This mixed-use project proposes a new vision for Oran Park, building upon the recently constructed town square park and Camden Council Chambers. The design extends the existing Stage 1 retail/Woolworths towards the the council building creating a new internal and external street. A new north facing market hall forms an indoor town square while a community of up to 1000 is accommodated above in approximately 300 apartments. Three differing standards of build to rent apartments were developed to suit different site opportunities and constraints and to provide housing choices, a key goal of the Greater Sydney Commission. An innovative urban design strategy by Scott Carver supports additional building height and an enhanced sense of place and community.

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

Landscape architect: Scott Carver

The design was inspired by the geological patterns of the rocky headland and surrounding built form that permits framed ocean views and breezes to be channeled between closely set apartment buildings. Aged care apartments form an elevated courtyard with dramatic views of the headland and ocean. A courtyard garden provides a variety of programmed spaces including a resident theatre, cinema, bowls, child play and vegetable and herb gardens. This also forms the roof scape to the new club below which extends outwards into food and beverage areas. This innovative design includes 100 aged care apartments and communal spaces, aged respite care, child care and a contemporary new Harbord Diggers Club suited to a fresh business model. This was a shortlisted design competition where the team were invited to participate as one of only five studios from more than 80 national and international practices who submitted expressions of interest.

Design Director

Architecture by GHD Woodhead

St Vincents College was established on their spectacular Potts Point site in 1858. The design for this Year 7 - 12 girl’s high school wraps the historical chapel courtyard with a new sports centre, drama and arts facilities and administration offices. A new library is situated at the ground level providing outreach opportunities to the local community. The building facades are carefully designed to continue the existing streetscape of heritage listed terrace houses whilst clearly being a contemporary building housing the types of educational uses needed for the 21st century. Materials include sandstone to street walls, heritage face brickwork and render together with polycarbonate claddings that maximise thermal efficiency whilst providing high levels of day lighting. Buildings are designed to maximise natural ventilation allowing for mixed-mode operation during periods of the year. Sun shading and planting controls heat gains further reducing the reliance on air conditioning whilst also allowing excellent views to be maintained towards Sydney Harbour.

Role: Architectural Director + Design Leader

Architecture by Thomson Adsett

This design and development application takes a fresh approach to a pivotal site on Victoria Road, bringing the Balmain Tigers Club back to their historic home and instituting a major place-making strategy that would benefit the local residential and business communities. Peter led the design strategy and concept design team at Scott Carver working closely with the client in consultation with the Inner West Council and local community groups. The design proposes a variety of apartment types arranged as three distinct buildings to Victoria Road allowing the building heights to transition downwards to the lower terrace house scale of Waterloo St. Innovative planning provides almost all apartments with views of the harbour and peninsula together with excellent daylighting, solar access and cross ventilation. A new Town Square forms the centrepiece of the proposal with a network of laneways criss-crossing the site making connections to existing retail and residential streets. The project proposes a variety of other uses including affordable housing, shared work space, a basement level supermarket, restaurants, cafes and child care. The design seeks to achieve the highest levels of social and environmental performance and form an exceptional public place to live, work, shop and visit on the Balmain Peninsula.

Design Principal: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

Landscape architect: Scott Carver

Statutory Planning: Mecone

This draft Stage 1 Development Application explored the possible urban design, lifestyle and commercial opportunities for this key site on George Street opposite Grosvenor Place. A new hotel typology was proposed to take advantage of the reduced traffic noise, improved air quality and street transformation that would result from the new light rail infrastructure. A large off street atrium forms a focus for the building’s hotel and residential communities as well as providing a meeting place for the public. The hotel podium provides a variety of winter gardens, balconies and loggia spaces to engage with George St and off-set the smaller hotel room sizes with other amenities. Apartments are situated above the podium with city and harbour views.

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

The building owners of this iconic 1980’s commercial office building wished to retain the existing long-term tenant at the conclusion of their lease. Peter led the team that developed a new vision and refresh for the building that included new facade treatments, podium additions, reception and the full fit-out of all levels. New outdoor public spaces formed part of a proposed masterplan for the precinct which captured neighbouring council owned land centred around pedestrian connections to Station Road. The existing engineering services were upgraded to include a variety of environmental features providing enhanced NABERS performance.

Role: Design Director + Team Leader

Architecture by GHD Woodhead

Situated on a key Jianguo Road site the design includes a 4 storey retail podium and glass covered pedestrian street, a 250 room hotel with serviced apartments and 350 luxury apartments arranged in a crescent to capture the south facing views and winter sun. Variations on traditional Chinese lattice motifs are integrated into the facade in laser cut metal to enhance summer solar shading and privacy between the adjacent towers. Tower service cores are arranged to provide outlook and natural ventilation and transition to private semi-outdoor winter gardens popular during Beijing's colder seasons. Facades employ a variety of materials including locally sourced granites and systems of reflective, translucent and transparent glass which visually transform during the day as a result of daylight conditions.

Role: Design Leader + Project Leader

Architecture by Architectus

Interiors/Health Planning: Thomson Adsett

Design Director (Interiors/Health Planning): Peter St Clair

Architecture: HBO/EMTB

Design Director: Allan Greene

The design for this display suite was conceptualised as an open plan gallery space. The marketing strategy was to exhibit the urban qualities and amenities of Erskineville alongside the design characteristics of the upcoming residential buildings and public domain space.

Role: Design Director

Architecture by Scott Carver

A new Opera House, Concert Hall & Multi-Purpose Auditorium form part of an overall arts precinct that includes a new public library and art gallery. The opera hall was designed to accommodate large Chinese opera performances with 20m x 20m side and rear stages. The three buildings were linked by a continuous shaded verandah that forms the outdoor reception areas to all buildings and a public pedestrian street. Peter led the design of the Opera House collaborating with Lindsay Clare and John Norman who led the art gallery and library designs. The project was part of a bold city-making strategy by the government of Manshaan to the north-west of Shanghai.

Role: Design Leader + Team Leader

Architecture by Architectus

This new commercial building capitalises on the neighbouring business campus & private hospital. The design will become the centrepiece and hub of a future second business campus that offers university style shared work space alongside administrative and medical tenant space. A north facing gallery forms an indoor street, reception and public space for all the campus users, while also providing for mixed-mode cooling in summer. Scott Carve delivered the masterplanning, architecture and landscape design services.

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

This new luxurious 4 bedroom home is situated on a premium north facing site above Sydney Harbour’s Chinaman’s Beach at Mosman. The design organises open plan living spaces around a central private courtyard that maximises visual connections to the outside from all rooms. The resulting thin building wings provide excellent cross ventilation and passive cooling in summer, solar access for winter heating and daylighting all year around. The floor plans maximise the views to the harbour from both private indoor and outdoor spaces.

Role: Project Leader

Architecture by Lesiuk Architects

The John Gorton building in Canberra’s parliamentary triangle was originally designed in 1924 and now houses the federal Department of the Environment. A new master plan was developed for the existing carpark and public spaces to the south of the building. The space was re-conceptualised as a new public room as part of a family of emerging public spaces that include the space to the east of the National Library and to the south of the High Courts of Australia.

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver consulting to GHD Woodhead

Role: Design Leader

Architecture by Architectus

Four residential buildings of 200 apartments are arranged around a central communal courtyard. Each building responds to different site conditions and orientations and offers a variety of housing types and price points. Galleries and breezeways surround the courtyard and draw cool air into surrounding apartments. Timber and stone claddings and large balcony rooms respond to the semi-rural character of this Baulkham Hills site where apartments are required to be larger than those prescribed by the Apartment Design Guide.

Design Director: Peter St Clair

Architect: Scott Carver

Role: Project Leader

Architecture by Woods Bagot

Originally designed in the 1950’s to house the Australian Government Printing Services this adaptive re-use accommodates the largest data centre in Australasia. The high floor to floor heights and load-bearing floors (that originally allowed for large printing presses, natural cooling & daylighting), were ideally suited for this new 21st century programme. The project underwent a rigorous design and consultation process with the SHFA Design Review Panel. Facades were replaced to three elevations derivative of the original face brickwork and high level blue glass. The facades and floor plans were designed to allow for a future conversion to commercial office space should the market for data hosting change.

Role: Design Leader

Architecture by DEM

The dual towers provide 86,000 m2 of commercial and retail space with sweeping views of the cities golf course. An open to the air atrium street forms a pedestrian gateway to the adjacent commercial and light industrial precinct. An urban park is positioned at the corner of the site extending beneath the lower tower providing open and shaded recreation space for the nearby residents and daytime workers. Designed, documented and built in less than 24 months this project required Peter and his team to be located in Shenzhen for extended periods working with a Local Design Institute.

Winner of international design competition

Role: Design Leader

Architecture by DEM

This adaptive re-use of a 1960’s boiler house provides 600 seats over a tiered ground level and mezzanine. The winning design in a selected competition, the university were excited by the light and economical touch to the exterior and interior of the building and the retention of the existing industrial character. Acoustic panels, mechanical ductwork and lighting uni-strut were suspended internally, building up layers of texture and colour to complement the existing white modular brickwork and zincalume finished metal. The foyer and staircase are the only additions to the original building, connected back towards the main pedestrian spine of the campus as well as forming a public outdoor stage and assembly area.

Winner of Australian Institute of Architects Canberra Medallion

Role: Design Leader + Project Leader

Architecture by Daryl Jackson Alastair Swayn