The site is a narrow series of parcels, below the Hobart Cenotaph at Macquarie Point – 265 metres long and rarely more than 35 metres wide, with a quarried escarpment rising up seven metres along its northern edge. The Cenotaph that sits above the escarpment has protected views out over the Derwent River, which was a critical parameter for us to maintain.
By pulling the buildings back from the rock face; this gap between built form and escarpment became the project’s organising space. The building frames the quarried face, bringing northern light into the apartments and retail on ground floor.
The massing is broken into four buildings that step down in height with the decreasing height of the escarpment, from four to three storeys. Chamfered concrete edges borrow the erosion and dolerite of the escarpment – a combination of exposed aggregate and smooth grey concrete are warmed by the inclusion of local timber at the ground. The planting palette of lush and native brings in a layer of coastal nature.
A public footway cuts through the site, linking Macquarie Point up to the Queens Domain, with a stair climbing the escarpment to the Cenotaph. The ground plane carries food, retail and live-work tenancies.
The Escarpment Macquarie Point,
Hobart
A mixed-use precinct including apartments, retail and hospitality – below the Hobart Cenotaph, designed for Milieu.
Chamfered concrete edges borrow the erosion and dolerite of the escarpment – a combination of exposed aggregate and smooth grey concrete for the parts – warmed by the inclusion of local timber at the ground.
