Reconnecting with Community – Nightingale Ballarat by Breathe

Located an hour-and-a-half west of Melbourne, Ballarat is the home of the first Nightingale building to be constructed outside of a major city. Designed by Breathe, the latest iteration channels the robust heritage architecture of this former gold-rush boomtown while – as with all Nightingale buildings – emphasising environmental sustainability and putting community at the centre.

As rural towns grow into rural cities, population sprawl becomes a major social and environmental issue. Residents are pushed further away from vital services such as amenities and public transport, becoming more reliant on cars and other carbon-intensive technologies. These expanding suburbs also require land, meaning that vitally important green spaces are replaced by roads and buildings. For a rapidly growing rural city like Ballarat, this is a present concern. Emphasising sustainability, affordability and community, the Nightingale model looks to address the issues posed by such burgeoning populations.

Emphasising sustainability, affordability and community, the Nightingale model looks to address the issues posed by such burgeoning populations.

Having succeeded in demonstrating the efficacy of the Nightingale approach in big cities, Breathe, one of the founding firms behind Nightingale, set out to highlight the potential for the paradigm-shifting development model to succeed in any urban setting. Teaming up with Ballarat-based builder H.Troon and project manager Hygge Property, the development includes 27 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and two street-facing commercial spaces close to the centre of the Ballarat CBD. The concept is a reinvigoration of central Ballarat, bringing residents back into town and encouraging connections within the community.

The design of the building reflects its rich historical context, echoing elements of the surrounding heritage architecture. Its red-brick façade is an ode to the robust Federation-style civic buildings that have been preserved throughout the city, while the tall, flowing arches rising from street level honour the grand portico of the nearby central railway station. Internally, the building has been hollowed out, with the typical enclosed hallways of most apartment buildings replaced here by central balconies and staircases encircling an open light well. Natural light, fresh air and, of course, rain all fall through the void to the shared gardens below. As with other Nightingale developments, the apartments themselves are humble but well-appointed with a pared-back honesty expressed in natural timber and exposed concrete.

As with other Nightingale developments, the apartments themselves are humble but well-appointed with a pared-back honesty expressed in natural timber and exposed concrete.

Key to the Nightingale model is its replicability – one can walk into any iteration and know that sustainability is written into its DNA. This is the case for Nightingale Ballarat, though it has evolved since its predecessors, harnessing improvements in technologies and processes. The design is 100 per cent carbon neutral in operation, exceeding an 8-star NatHERS rating thanks to low embodied energy materials, an impressive solar system, 16,000 litres of harvested rainwater and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

Through a striking design that both glimpses back in time while looking to the future, the latest iteration of Nightingale brings residents back into the heart of this regional city. The result contributes to restoring the vibrancy and activity of the golden-age central hub while also reconnecting residents with the local community.