ParkLife by Austin Maynard Architects
Austin Maynard Architects’ ParkLife is one of Australia’s most sustainable apartment buildings—designed to prioritise social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Tom Ross
There are three trees on the northern side of ParkLife, including one very large and established gum tree called ‘Alan’—named after the local man who planted them.
The rooftop features a series of wide, south-facing steps that span a portion of the rooftop, creating a space for residents to come together or a space to sit in the sun..
‘I am so grateful to call this place my home,’ says architect Ray Dinh, who jumped at the chance to purchase an apartment for his family when one became available in 2021.
Joinery has been lowered to 2.1 metres and hangs off the ceiling as a long, wide open shelf. It can be used as display space, and curtains can be hung from the underside to give extra privacy.
Excelling within the industry code for sustainability, ParkLife has an average NatHERS rating of 9 stars, making it the most sustainable building in The Village.
The interior materiality within was deliberately kept simple—featuring timber floors, white walls, white cabinetry, concrete ceiling and a terrazzo tile in the bathroom, allowing the community to personalise their homes.
Open-air common spaces can be found on each level.
‘I’ve lived in apartments both in Melbourne and New York before, nothing compares to ParkLife,’ says Johanna Picton, who lives in her much-loved, two-bedroom apartment with her dog, Billie.
Set within Brunswick’s Nightingale Village, Australia’s first carbon neutral residential precinct, ParkLife by Austin Maynard Architects is a high-performing, beautifully designed, community-focused apartment building containing 37 homes and two commercial tenancies.
ParkLife has been designed according to the Nightingale model by local, award-winning architects, an initiative that’s been working to address Melbourne's housing crisis since 2013. Excelling within the industry code for sustainability, ParkLife has an average NatHERS rating of 9 stars, making it the most sustainable building in The Village.
Nightingale Housing is a not-for-profit housing provider founded by Jeremy McLeod and the team at Breathe Architecture—creating pre-designed sustainable homes that prioritise affordability and celebrate the benefits of community living.
Nightingale maintains affordability through their at-cost pricing model and unique allocation system. Rather than using traditional bidding, potential buyers enter a ballot system for the opportunity to buy an apartment. The process includes a priority framework that gives preference to vulnerable groups, such as disabled individuals and their caregivers, women aged 55 and over, and First Nations people.
Designwise, ParkLife has a distinctive mountainous roofline and a unique rooftop amphitheatre, as well as a variety of social/communal areas, diverse in scale, location and character, ensuring its reputation as the social hub of the Village. Homes are comprised of 14 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, 2 three-bedroom and 2 Teilhaus apartments, each designed to extol space-efficiency, functionality and flexibility. Importantly, five of the apartments are designated social housing, through Housing Choices Australia.
ParkLife celebrates some of the most striking elements of Austin Maynard Architects’ residential work to date. ‘In referencing our work to be a recognisable Austin Maynard Architects project, we borrowed various visual aspects such as the mountainous roof line from RaeRae House, the white steel balustrade from Greenacres and the colour yellow, as celebrated in My-House, Alfred House and Mills House. While on the central precinct side (Duckett Street) the external materiality is a crisp white steel, where ParkLife looks out across the park the exterior is highlighted by a bright sunny yellow,’ shares Austin Maynard Architects.
The bright and joyful colour extends a visual consistency throughout the building, including all the common area thoroughfares, bike storage space and large planter boxes, as well as the articulate balconies on the Northern side. Cleverly, the bright yellow was also used to paint over pipes and conduits, so that the ‘messiness’ of the elements are disguised in yellow so the eye sees the space and not the smaller details.
The materiality within the apartments was kept deliberately simple; timber floors, white walls, white cabinetry, concrete ceiling and a terrazzo tile in the bathroom were applied so that each owner can personalise their homes to suit their taste. ‘Attractive, functional spaces were created with great views and lots of light, which can be embellished in any way the residents want to make the apartment their home,’ says Austin Maynard Architects.
‘All decisions made in the design process were based on increasing the sustainability of the building. ParkLife is built very differently to the other buildings within The Village and within the local area.’
Planning is currently underway for ParkLife 2—register your interest here.
ParkLife doesn’t have any private carparks, but there’s 95 bike parking spaces for 37 homes, easy access to public transport and The Village’s public car share pod.
The exterior of ParkLife is highly insulated white steel cladding, with cables, grills and rods to allow vegetation to proliferate.
Inspired by the sun, the bright yellow extends a visual consistency throughout the building, including all common area thoroughfares, bike store and large planter boxes.
In true Austin Maynard design form, functionality does not mean boring; moments of surprise and delight, simple and efficient, cost effective, strategic and playful can be found throughout the spaces.