A Good Neighbour – Walk Up Village by 6a architects, Dan Pearson Studio and Fender Katsalidis

Inspired by the meandering pathways of Mediterranean hilltop towns, Walk Up Village turns the typical sprawling urban community on its side. Responding to the criticism that ‘tall buildings often take away more than they give,’ the remarkable multi-use building returns space and amenities to this quiet Collingwood backstreet.

Developer Molonglo brought together a team of international expertise, inviting London-based 6a architects to Australia for the first time, along with esteemed landscape architects Dan Pearson Studio, and Fender Katsalidis as executive architects. The design slices the typical multi-storey commercial building in two, a deep ‘ravine’ plunging through the middle, exposing the familiar gloomy internal access corridors to the light and fresh air. These open ascending spaces form a series of interconnected laneways, densely planted with native climbing plants, grasses and wildflowers. Internally, the village ethos is alive with a mix of public and commercial spaces. These commercial spaces are designed to foster Collingwood’s history of creativity and making, with a mix of different typologies, from hybrid ateliers with shopfronts to full floor plan offices. Alexis Kalagas, Head of Public Programs at Molonglo, explains that “the focus was on trying to support the diverse creative community that already exists in Collingwood.”

The design was informed by experimental research and a yearlong public consultation program. The result is a true expression of Collingwood’s urban identity – variable heights and forms create a unique architectural expression, challenging the typical modernist formula, while the progressive composition of spaces and tenures highlights Collingwood’s civic mindfulness and abundant cultural scene. The sawtooth rooftop silhouettes, too, are a nod to Collingwood’s humble industrial roofscape. The built environment elements of the project, designed by 6a architects, ensure a seamless embrace with the surrounding urban environment. The building simultaneously projects outwards to the community while inviting it in, with open spaces and gardens at every level, a new laneway running along the ravine and a public rooftop garden with a small kiosk serving drinks and snacks.

Dan Pearson Studio’s landscape design completes the sense of climbing a verdant hilltop village. More than 3,000 predominantly native plants are placed at every available opportunity, with planters and garden beds greeting you at every turn. The sprawling plantings create a softening balance against the sharp lines of the robust fa.ade. As well as stimulating the senses, the gardens accentuate the verticality of the design, with different species predominating each level, creating the feeling of ascending a mountain landscape. The dense plantings also improve the ecology of the site, capturing rainwater and creating habitats for birds and insects. More than a tokenistic nod to natural systems, the plantings are an invitation

The design was informed by experimental research and a yearlong public consultation program.

Walk Up Village is an impressive series of expressive forms that embrace the environment, both social and natural, resisting the hermetic sealing of typical high-rises.

The sense of ‘publicness’ that underpins Walk Up Village extends to the social responsibility to act sustainably, to minimise impacts and “be a good neighbour”. Intentional orientation and shading, as well as dense plantings and high-performance materials, reduce the need for heating and cooling. Natural light and ventilation are prioritised, and the ravine ensures all levels can access the outside without having to use a lift. The whole design has been carefully considered for opportunities to reduce environmental impact, as Alexis explains. “We approached the challenge of sustainability in a holistic sense. [To create] a building that is environmentally responsible, healthy and inclusive. Not just individual elements, but a whole ecosystem.”

Walk Up Village is an impressive series of expressive forms that embrace the environment, both social and natural, resisting the hermetic sealing of typical high-rises. The building is unpretentious in both its design and ethos, welcoming the public inside and creating a remarkable example of how a design can sensitively respond to place.