Caroline Street Rooftop Apartment

The Caroline Street rooftop apartment has been conceived as an abstract sculptural form that when viewed from below, appears to float above the building on which it sits. The two-bedroom apartment has been constructed on the roof of a five storey 1970’s office building, providing for sweeping views and contributing to the eclectic and increasingly mixed-use nature of the inner-city suburb of South Yarra. This project explores the relationship between the heavy rectilinear mass of the existing building and the light, curved form of the new addition – ideas which are played out both externally and within.

The predominately glazed façade of the apartment is recessed from the curved zinc-clad roof, accentuating its form and providing for continuous terraces, with two larger spaces oriented to the North and West. The office building’s lift core is expressed externally and internally and treated with a textured concrete render, accentuating its mass and creating a robust element which acts as a counterpoint to the finely detailed roof of the apartment. A series of sculptural forms have been inserted into the internal volume, eliminating any visible doors and delineating the living zones; creating a generous sense of space despite the constraints of the site. A restrained pallet of materials accentuates these formal gestures and soften the large expanses of glass and the light that they afford.

Close consultation with the structural engineer and builder was required to overcome the complexities presented by the unique site and eliminating the need for structural modifications to the existing building. The lightweight steel frame, which forms the structure of the apartment and the curved roof, was manufactured remotely and lifted into place using a crane from an adjacent building site.

Careful consideration to sustainable design was inherent in the conception of the design. The curved roof provides continuous eaves which become deeper over the North and West facades, allowing for large expanses of glass without exposing the apartment to direct sun. The apartment is raised off the office building’s existing concrete roof, providing a thermal and acoustic break, while the small footprint of the floorplan and large operable doors and windows afford excellent cross ventilation. The use and adaptation of the existing rooftop increases the utilisation and density of the site, whilst the formal gesture of the apartment creates a positive contribution to the skyline and Melbourne’s urban fabric.