Urbanest, Darling Square

This twin towers project is designed for amenity, connection and urban presence, forging connections between resident students and the city. The north tower is a catered college style of undergraduate accommodation, and the south tower contains self-catered accommodation suited to senior or more independent graduate students, with a network of common spaces throughout.

The two towers connect through their lower levels across a ‘verandah’ of common areas, with the upper levels arranged into a series of neighbourhoods, each with its own lofty common room – offering a quieter ‘third space’ for socialising or study that’s close to student rooms, but away from the major common areas below. 

Designed to form part of the urban tapestry, the tower facades also have a story, drawn from their location. In texture and colour, the west façades reference the old brick warehouses of the district, while the east facades echo patterns of shimmering light off the harbour.

They are cut to create more building corners for cross-ventilated apartments, attracting a 4 Greenstar rating, and are elevated on a two-storey concrete colonnade echoing the giant trusses that spanned the nearby railway yards until the 1980s.