Housing With Heritage – Kerr Street Residences by Kerstin Thompson Architects

In the cultural hub of Fitzroy, in Melbourne’s inner north, Kerstin Thompson Architects has matched client ambition to deliver a multi-residential project of European sensibility. Reminiscent of Italian housing models, Kerr Street Residences establishes a precedent for the integration of new architecture with heritage fabric.

The first conversations regarding this multiple housing project took place in 2010, when Kerstin Thompson Architects was commissioned to undertake a feasibility study for the site at 221 Kerr Street, Fitzroy. The client, though providing an unusually open brief, had a few parameters such as a high level of amenity and a continental undertone. The project team at Kerstin Thompson Architects worked with the heritage two-storey red brick base, devising a slim perimeter block surrounding a generous courtyard to create a central and private oasis for its residents.

The project team at Kerstin Thompson Architects worked with the heritage two-storey red brick base, devising a slim perimeter block surrounding a generous courtyard to create a central and private oasis for its residents.

The superior amenity that Kerr Street Residences yields is due largely to Kerstin Thompson Architects’s approach to heritage additions and rejection of the default minimum setbacks, as well as the building’s position on the block. Because of these factors, residents within the building are afforded dual-aspect dwellings, while neighbours in the adjacent buildings take in views of a well-vegetated courtyard. Achieving this level of mutual benefit wasn’t without its challenges, and in order to obtain appropriate planning approval, Kerstin Thompson Architects had to demonstrate to the City of Yarra through contextual analysis and extensive diagramming that building to the site perimeter would continue Fitzroy’s already established pattern of zero setbacks and defined street corners. After approval was granted and construction completed, Kerr Street Residences elicits a pleasant and connected neighbourhood defined by various dwelling types and sizes with a communal green spine of a landscaped courtyard and garden terrace.

Kerr Street Residences consists of 51 dwellings in total. Eight double-storey townhouses converted from the existing heritage building line the street frontages and retain the industrial history of the red brick base. Above, three new wings across six additional storeys are separated by open-corner circulation stairwells that take in views across the city and lead to 43 apartments. The south-west corner of the site reinforces the distinct brick character while the west- and east-facing aspects are clad in metal and comparable in scale to other industrial buildings in the area.

The superior amenity that Kerr Street Residences yields is due largely to Kerstin Thompson Architects’s approach to heritage additions and rejection of the default minimum setbacks, as well as the building’s position on the block.

Kerstin Thompson Architects references an industrial history and reinforces the site’s narrative with a new layer of cosmopolitan originality. Blending Victorian heritage and European charm, Kerr Street Residences is a considered addition to the Fitzroy streetscape, benefiting those who call it home and those passing by.