Jury citation
Verve Residences punctuates the western end of Newcastle. Two slender towers have been shaped and sited to allow excellent sunlight penetration to a broad podium, creating a key social space and garden for the residents. Sleeved by a mix of retail, commercial and residential use, the podium steps back from Cottage Creek to create a new public frontage and throughsite connection along the creek. The fine urban form of the towers, which have a maximum of six apartments per floor, is accentuated by tapered balcony balustrades on the north side.
The importance and legacy of this project, though, is not in its detail. The small-footprint towers, good orientation, daylit and naturally ventilated corridors, generous communal spaces and urban connections deliver a fundamental architectural amenity – and more – while withstanding the pressure of value engineering.
Project credits
Architects CKDS Architecture with Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects; Project team Philip Thalis, Stuart Campbell, Aaron Murray, Joel Chamberlain, Nicholas Flatman, Kristina Hay, Benjamin Rapley, James Booth, Jessica Garnham, Timothy Blakeway, Sarah Bateman, Steele Olney; Builder Bloc; Structural engineer Northrop; Landscape consultant Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture; Electrical consultant S4B; Mechanical engineer Edwards and Vickerman Consulting Engineers; Hydraulic and fire engineer Wallace Plumbing and Fire Design; Building certifier Newcert; Public art Anchor Ceramics.
Verve Residences is located in Newcastle, New South Wales, on the land of the Awabakal people.
