High-rise apartment blocks are usually static buildings what you see doesn't vary from day to day.
The new Trio apartment building in Sydney, developed by Frasers Property, is just the opposite. Fender Katsalidis Architects has designed three interconnected buildings with ever-changing facades.
Architect Karl Fender says each of the 397 apartments has a loggia with adjustable louvre screens that can be moved, opened and closed as required.
"Trio was designed to be dynamic every day there will be a different look to the building," he says. "The collage facade will be constantly and subtly shifting as the screens and louvres are opened and closed. And at night, the building will have a magical lantern quality, making it a beacon in this rapidly evolving area of Camperdown."
Fender says the loggias are just one aspect of the design that helps to give the building a residential feel. Breaking down the building mass into three blocks also provides a sense of community. And the material palette helps create individuality residents can readily identify which part of the building is theirs.
This has been achieved by the materials, including anodised metal in custom colours, and copper-hued concrete, and by layered framing devices.
"The building is perceived as a strong piece of sculpture," says Fender. "It becomes an exercise in large-scale urban graphics. With the concrete, for example, the aim was to take a durable material and, through detail, texture and colour, turn it into a recognisable art form."
Fender says this concept is taken a step further with the vertical fins on the outside of the apartments, which are a reference to the buttresses on a Gothic cathedral.
Great attention has also been paid to landscaping. Each of Trio's entrances is reached by a path lined with a wall of Sydney sandstone, which was quarried on site. Reflecting pools in the garden run under the glazing to the lobbies to create seamless, but secure indoor-outdoor spaces.
In launching the completed project, Frasers Property invited several interior designers to fit out show apartments. All of the designs emphasise the role of the loggia as an extension of the living space.