Lachlan Magrath

Lumen. Mid-rise Residential Apartments. 79 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea.

Lumen focusses upon providing a rich amphitheatre programme which affords ad-hoc community space and activates the underutilised alleyways it borders. It breaks down the divide of private and public thresholds along the ground plane, while providing rich and adaptable residential living above. Apartment plans are designed to be ambiguous in their space to maximise adaptability and afford occupants agency in how they live. Lumen shows how architecture can strengthen the neighbourhood it is built within, uplifting not only its residents, but its community as well.

Lumen - Exterior Form

Lumen's form is defined by its function. The cylindrical staircase punctures through its sharp façade, providing soft relief from the robust logic of the plans within. The exterior stairs force occupants through and around the site, activating the ground plane and revitalising the forgotten neighbouring alleyways. Bricks provide warmth within the façade, tastefully contrasting the pragmatic concrete of its interior. The façade is dynamic and alive, alluding to the active programme within.

Lumen - Activated Alleyway

Alleyways are dark, dingy and forgotten. Lumen aims to redefine this. Rich amphitheatre programme spills into the alleyway’s banks, revitalising its edges with sounds of laughter and drinks resonating through the half-moon window. Cinema and markets are home here, the space reclaimed and revitalised for the community that forgot it.

Lumen - Apartments with Agency

Apartments have the power to give people agency over their lives. Ambiguity is king; winter-garden turning into bedroom turning into kitchen turning into study. Space is begging to be defined by its occupant. The plan gives them agency to adapt the spaces to their needs while not restricting them into one uniform style of use. The plan expands and contracts as occupants needs change, providing affordable housing which can be lived in long-term.

Lumen - Typical Apartment Plan

Can apartments be rigorously designed, and yet still not defined? Lumen’s apartments define space but not programme. They provide rooms with qualities, not furniture. It is up to the occupant to decide how that space will best fit them. The apartments spill into themselves, providing opportunity for shared communal area while affording private space. Large balcony areas act as a canvas for the occupants to grow, dine and build a small community together upon.

Lumen - South Elevation

Lumens façade is dynamic and lively, establishing pattern which it then deliberately interrupts. Columns and Juliet balconies pirouette around each other up the façade, providing enclaves of intimacy in the brick and concrete. Hit-and-Miss partitions disrupt their own rhythm, paying homage to their eccentric commercial neighbours. Light, sound and aroma beckon you through the open arteries of circulation, a thriving community within.

Lumen - Perspective Section

Lumen’s interior is as dynamic as its façade. Amphitheatre steps flow through the space, setting the stage for ad-hoc cinema, market stalls or simple summer drinks. Each space within the ground plane is distinctly interconnected, interweaving with each other into a rich tapestry of programme which uplifts and supports its people. In this way, a thriving community is foundational to the success of the housing.

Explore more

View all