Jacka Crescent Townhouses

by CO-AP

Three new townhouses traverse across a sloping site in the inner-eastern suburb of Campbell, Canberra. The attached dwellings stagger across and up the steep topography, with rooms and circulation spaces stretching and hinging around courtyard gardens which frame borrowed landscapes. Robust off-form and precast concrete has been used as the main building material. Concrete slabs, beams and walls are expressed in their natural finish both inside and outside in homage to Canberra’s Brutalist architectural heritage. Externally, lightweight infill cladding of dark bronze anodised aluminium further articulate the facade and roof forms. Clerestory windows reach out to catch northern sun and provide cross ventilation. Each townhouse has a distinctive plan, adapting to their locations on the site and responding to the brief of their respective occupants. The palette of interior finishes change between each residence, playing between terracotta, terrazzo, stone, ceramics, concrete and timber. Comfortably sited, the new buildings hug the ground, keeping discrete within the established landscaped surroundings.