MJA’s Clifton & Central Project Took the Opportunity to Turn a Charming

MJA’s Clifton & Central project took the opportunity to turn a charming but neglected corner shop into a community meeting place, and to demolish a highly compromised and a poor standard dwelling to way make for a well-considered and designed mixed use development. The corner shop was activated prior to the commencement of the main project and developed a strong local following, hinting at what was to come.

Inglewood is an important heritage area and the design resolution integrates conservation of a key minor element of the precinct and a sympathetic solution for the new work that draws on the language and materiality of the context and reinterpreting it in a fresh and pleasing manner.

The architectural language is rich, sympathetic and makes a good contribution to the neighbourhood and a key corner site.

Interaction with the public domain is underpinned by the conservation and reactivation of the cafe, maintenance of a garden setting to Central Avenue, design rhythm of Clifton Avenue commercial tenancies, and minimisation of the visual impact of the car park entry.

The project contributes to good local passive surveillance, with its activation at the ground floor and windows overlooking the streets.

The historic context comprised a mix of significant single storey houses, a church and later two storey developments. The project successfully sits in the context and provides  a new elegant visual landmark.

The developers reside locally and are experienced in development in this sensitive context. The brief required the reactivation of the cafe and the introduction of activated ground floor development and as many residences that were compatible with the context. MJA have produced an outcome that meets this brief with care and skill.

Integration with the landscape both garden and urban has been achieved to a commendable standard and CAPA are to be congratulated for the outcome.

All apartments are dual aspect, naturally ventilated, have high-performance glass, insulation, shading to windows, EV charging stations, a solar array and hot water recirculating. This combined with low maintenance envelope materials will contribute to long term sustainability.

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