Delivering Good Density – Nightingale Leftfield by Kennedy Nolan

Nightingale Leftfield by Kennedy Nolan is one of six buildings at Nightingale Village in Melbourne’s inner north. Situated along Duckett Street and with a desirable, north-west aspect, the mixed-use development encompasses private residences, communal spaces and Ima Pantry and Cafe – a sustainably focused, Japanese-inspired grocery store and eatery.

Leftfield’s earthy red façade and layered palette – which features carbon neutral red bricks on the ground floor, red-tinted steel and concrete – reflect Kennedy Nolan’s intuitive approach to colour and materiality, yet most enduring is the building’s exactness as a mixed-use development. As the practice’s Director of Architecture Victoria Reeves shares, “for us, delivering good density is about finding real generosity within the plan, making small spaces work really hard and providing a lovely backdrop for residents to come in and put the layers of their own lives over the top.”

As Kennedy Nolan Director of Architecture Victoria Reeves shares, “for us, delivering good density is about finding real generosity within the plan, making small spaces work really hard and providing a lovely backdrop for residents to come in and put the layers of their own lives over the top.”

This sentiment rings true within each apartment; clever spatial planning, cross ventilation and access to natural light are fundamental, and the appealing mix of textures and colours – which includes Victorian Ash, terrazzo and Laminex in peach, terracotta, grey and sage – is a gesture to residents rather than an overt architectural statement. As Victoria says, “it’s an endeavour to provide comfortable, hardworking small homes.”

Hardworking is the operative word, and Nightingale Village’s partnership with Fisher & Paykel was integral to this. As Victoria explains, “when we design a compact space, we think carefully about everything working hard so it’s seamless and all the elements are quite discreet, which is why we’ve selected Fisher & Paykel appliances – they work very well with that.” The selection includes an induction cooktop, oven, rangehood and DishDrawer (many of the residents also opted for a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator). Though extensive, the suite of appliances recedes, making way for dwellings with a high level of amenity under a guise of order and minimalism.

The shared laundry space on the rooftop, which features a suite of Fisher & Paykel washing machines and dryers, provides residents with highly efficient appliances within a socially driven context.

The partnership with Fisher & Paykel supports Nightingale’s pursuit not only for design excellence, but also for socially and environmentally friendly housing. As Victoria explains, “the big move in the Village from a sustainability perspective is zero carbon electricity, water storage, big solar arrays and high performing thermal envelopes, and induction cooking was a really important part of providing that.” Further, the shared laundry space on the rooftop – which features a suite of Fisher & Paykel washing machines and dryers – supports this and provides residents with highly efficient appliances within a socially driven context.

This innate sense of community is enhanced by Ima Pantry and Cafe on the ground floor. As the cafe’s owner Ako says, “[this] was the perfect site for Ima Project as we truly believe in the sense of community and sustainability.” She adds, “we’re hoping that by adding a cafe business in this area we’ll activate this beautiful street and allow a local community to gather and linger.” Victoria attests to the value of this small business, saying “they’ve brought this great program that not only enriches the community of this building immediately, but it’s such a gift to the broader street and the neighbourhood.”

Much like Ima Pantry and Cafe, Leftfield is an offering to the community and, deeply embedded in the values inherent to Nightingale Housing, a diligently conceived prototype of a more sustainable, medium density model.