Vic Ash Lining Echoes Nature in Banksia Apartments

Built in harmony with the park along side it, Banksia Docklands encapsulates amazing design, celebrates Australian materials and echoes its natural setting. Banksia New Quay is a recent development in Docklands that has made a statement in design and added diversity to the waterfront.

This integral apartment building was designed by one of Melbourne’s highly regarded firm’s – McBride Charles Ryan (MCR). Established in 1988, ‘MCR has one passion – providing exceptional design for our clients’. This multi-million dollar project was no feat for the MCR team, having worked on projects of up to $1B in the past. The entire project entailed a collaboration with Aspect Studios and Stutterheim Anderson Landscape Architecture.

The striking facade is a definite stand out in the urban suburb of Docklands, MCR explains “the distinct façade was developed to recall the Banksia pod, the biomimicry linking the building metaphorically to the park in which it sits”. It was important to the entire team that the natural setting is echoed throughout the space, emphasised in the apartments, foyers and rooftop.

“Banksia is distinctly Australian, its design recalls the past landscape and dwellers of this area. The high-end interior of Banksia arrays across the penthouse, sky-homes and classic apartment iterations that are designed utilising indigenous timbers, such as Victorian ash and Spotted gum” as further explained by MCR. Featuring Australian timbers not only adds an element of nature, but imparts warmth and comfort to these inner-city apartments.

Supplied by Bowens, GOODWOOD Victorian ash lining is featured throughout the building. MCR added “the use of Vic ash was to metaphorically commemorate the native character of the indigenous landscape as well as contribute to the process of long term carbon sequestration of the atmosphere”.

Originally published on vicash.com.au