Mona

The project is located at the corner of Mona Road and New South Head Road – a highly visible gateway site forming part of the New South Head Road Corridor commercial precinct, which is rapidly changing to address the need for greater office capacity in the Eastern Suburbs proximate to a public transport interchange (i.e. Edgecliff Station).

Architecturally, the proposal leverages on the architectural milieu of the surrounding context -a rich legacy of brick Art Deco buildings dating from the 1920s that reinforce the 4-storey street wall presentation along New South Head Road, thereby enhancing the public realm. The height and scale of the podium component of the proposed design is articulated to match the scale of this historic context, with the upper levels of the project set back on New South Head Road and Mona Road in deference to the heritage-listed Mona Road terraces to the north.

More than anything, the proposal attempts to stitch together the disparate parts of the corridor by drawing inspiration from the scale, building section and architectural details and material palette associated with some of the original Interwar apartment buildings in the immediate context along the corridor – No.2, 99, 101, 109 and 113 New South Head Road and No.2A Darling Point Road. In-depth research has been undertaken, even at this stage, to source and select an appropriate brick product for the project to ensure a level of synchronicity with the context.

The upper levels of the building are conceived as urban verandahs that provide prospect over the street, whilst the ground plane seeks to engage with the public realm by way of active retail/ commercial uses. Part of accessway leading to the rear of No.9, 11 and 15 Mona Road doubles as an outdoor seating space for the retail and possibly F&B tenancies adjacent, and will therefore be populated/ patronised during the day and encourage an F&B night-time economy along the New South Head Road strip.

Given its prominent corner location, a highly articulated upper-level form was deemed appropriate for the site. The sweep of the glass and masonry tower form, culminating in a blade edge on the corner of Mona Road and New South Head Road provides dramatic effect. The shape of the tower builds on the opportunities of a highly visible corner, without detracting from the importance of the heritage-listed terraces to the north along Mona Road.

The tower is designed to ‘allow the outside in’ through a north-facing glazed facade with district views over the tree canopy of Rushcutters Bay. The building owners’ intend to work with tenants to optimise opportunities for the building interior to have an invigorating connection to building-integrated landscaping and fresh air, observing the core principles of biophilic design.