A steep, sloping site on Bellevue Road in Bellevue Hill is the setting for a new mid-rise apartment proposal that puts masonry front and center at street level. Plans have been lodged for a 20-home development at 138A-140 Bellevue Road, designed by Sydney architecture practice Common Office.
According to the project’s design report, the building uses the site’s major topographical fall to distribute its scale. It presents a seven-storey profile to Bellevue Road and rises to 10 storeys at the rear. The mix includes one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments, with four two-bedroom homes set aside as affordable housing. Two apartments are listed as adaptable dwellings.
For mason contractors and crews that touch the building envelope, the key move is the podium strategy. Common Office describes a masonry podium paired with a lighter upper volume, referencing Bellevue Hill’s familiar sandstone bases and the vertical proportions seen in local Inter-war Art Deco apartment buildings. The lower levels are set to feature large-format sandstone tiles that form a robust base and help negotiate the change in elevation from the street.
Above that base, the facade shifts to red-tinted precast concrete frames, recessed balconies, anodised aluminium screens, and expanded metal detailing. Deep recesses and material transitions are used to break down the overall scale into articulated volumes, while privacy screens and triangular window elements nod to nearby Art Deco geometry.
Landscaping is spread across private and shared spaces, including a Level 5 communal terrace and a rooftop outdoor area with seating and paved gathering zones. The broader Bellevue Hill market also has other boutique apartment projects underway, including Kew Palm House and Florian.
Read the full, original article from Apartments.com.au here.