Wharf Road

Architecture
Wharf Road

40 Level / 38 Sky Homes, 2 Penthouses, 1 Beach House / 15,504m² GFA

40 Level
38 Sky Homes, 2 Penthouses, 1 Beach House
15,504m² GFA

A tower so exactly tailored to its environment, that it couldn’t exist in any other place, but the coast of beautiful Surfers Paradise.

×
A Beach House in the Sky

From the outset we decided to reconsider the typical high-rise apartment tower in
order to create an architecture that truly celebrates the idea of living on the coast. The question was, how should we define the local, create a sense of place and derive a climactic response? How should we design a subtropical apartment? How do we create a place to live? We started with the idea of a beach house in the sky. A place with a verandah, offering
protection from the summer sun, a place to linger, a garden, a place where one can
enjoy the weather, the love of the environment, a place to revel in the playfulness of
the coast.
×
A Tower From the Wind

The challenge was to create that experience within a pencil thin tower. Our response was to craft a tower from the wind.
Taking advantage of the latest advances in parametric design tools and modelling
technology, we were able to revolutionise the way we approach the design of a
high rise residential tower by synthesising a wide range of issues into one coherent
architectural approach.
×
Ground-Level Interface

Anchoring each end of the site are two smaller pavilions. On the waterfront is the
townhouse, the quintessential luxury beach residence. At the other end of the site on the corner of Wharf road and Old Burleigh road is a separate residence facility and wellness centre. This pavilion is also the entry to the basement carpark. Each pavilion is a finely crafted sculptural piece, like two surreal rock formations eroded by wind and water. These critical formal objects help pivot the public activity from the city to the water front.

Parametric paradise

The ultimate beach front location combined with the unique site proportions presented the design team with the opportunity to create a slender residential tower, which would draw its inspiration from, and respond to, its unique environmental context.

The manner in which the team engaged with local environmental issues has allowed us to synthesise a series of influential parameters that drive the structural design of high-rise buildings to create a finely tuned, locally wrought piece of architecture. An Architecture that both functions and has an aesthetic that belongs in the subtropical context of Surfers Paradise.

The structural system used had the added benefit of creating a deep façade, which assists in the creation of micro-climates, allowing us to finely tune each apartment for passive solar shading, the creation of garden beds and the possibility of natural ventilation. The undulating duel balconies at the end of each apartment are essential to the structural performance of the tower whilst also allowing a connection to the outside environment under different weather conditions at different times of the day.

The accommodation within consists of an activated three storey ‘street building’ which incorporates communal recreation space, ground floor retail space and a private Beach House residence. The multi-residential tower above incorporates one per plate luxury sky-home residences over 37 floors.

The ultimate beach front location combined with the unique site proportions presented the design team with the opportunity to create a slender residential tower, which would draw its inspiration from, and respond to, its unique environmental context.

The manner in which the team engaged with local environmental issues has allowed us to synthesise a series of influential parameters that drive the structural design of high-rise buildings to create a finely tuned, locally wrought piece of architecture. An Architecture that both functions and has an aesthetic that belongs in the subtropical context of Surfers Paradise.

The structural system used had the added benefit of creating a deep façade, which assists in the creation of micro-climates, allowing us to finely tune each apartment for passive solar shading, the creation of garden beds and the possibility of natural ventilation. The undulating duel balconies at the end of each apartment are essential to the structural performance of the tower whilst also allowing a connection to the outside environment under different weather conditions at different times of the day.

The accommodation within consists of an activated three storey ‘street building’ which incorporates communal recreation space, ground floor retail space and a private Beach House residence. The multi-residential tower above incorporates one per plate luxury sky-home residences over 37 floors.

Show more
The structure of the tower is an adapted diagrid exoskeleton. The structural system is ideal for dealing with dynamic wind and structural loads whilst also being suited for complex formal outcomes.