A Reimagined Gathering Place – The Eastbourne by Bates Smart

Leveraging the site’s history as a gathering place connected to the adjacent Fitzroy Gardens, The Eastbourne is conceived on principles of the artisanal and craft. In collaboration with Mirvac and the Freemasons Victoria, Bates Smart proposes apartments steeped in luxury and a sense of enduring timelessness.

Located at the edge of Melbourne’s inner-urban lushly landscaped Fitzroy Gardens, The Eastbourne takes occupancy on a previously well-convened site. Once home to the Dallas Brooks Hall, the location and proximity to the city and transport was an iconic gathering place for events since the 1970s. The site’s new occupation of luxury apartments takes formal inspiration as a series of pavilion within a park and aims to immerse its residents within the green pocket it overlooks. Uniquely located in East Melbourne, surrounded by heritage rich Victorian and art deco architecture, The Eastbourne references modernism with long linear horizontal bands and expansive use of glass. Bates Smart, in collaboration with developer Mirvac and the Victorian Freemasons, combines core principles of craft and the engagement with the artisan to conceive the resulting apartments.

Bates Smart proposes apartments steeped in luxury and a sense of enduring timelessness.

Spread over 75,000sqm and eleven levels, The Eastbourne is comprised of 245 apartments, each with their unique engagement with the Fitzroy Gardens. The upper levels are afforded uninterrupted skyline views of the city and surrounding inner urban suburbs, middle levels all see out through the tree canopies, and the lower levels are draped in dappled light from the interplay between the trees and the sun throughout the day. Much like the previous occupant on the site, the vision was to propose architecture that was enduring, with a sense of permanence and an identity as a place that brought people together. With the expansive use of masonry connecting the building to its site through a weightiness and restraint in palette and materiality, there is unity in the comprising parts that encase the experience of engaging with the spaces.

Upon entry, the snese of luxury is amplified through the double-height exaggerated space as it welcomes its audience. Set back from its main street frontage, the creation of a forecourt creates useable and interactive landscaped space for residents, guests and the public, while also creating an interlude before entry. The site’s history with the Freemasons Victoria was integral to the design and is expressed through the engagement with local crafts people and artisans. The extensive use of stone throughout connects back to the Freemasons origins, imbedding a sense of permanence, memorial and quality in the detailing. These same principles carry through to each apartment, with a palette of neutral and enduring finishes, robust and detailed stone and quality details.

Combining the timeless and the contemporary, The Eastbourne is an exemplar in luxury apartment living. Bates Smart has optimised the site’s location to allow each space to engage uniquely with the adjacent garden and elevate the apartment living experience.

Spread over 75,000sqm and eleven levels, The Eastbourne is comprised of 245 apartments, each with their unique engagement with the Fitzroy Gardens.

Combining the timeless and the contemporary, The Eastbourne is an exemplar in luxury apartment living.