AJC Architects has received approval for its redevelopment of a retail town centre in northern Sydney. According to a release from the practice, the design "reimagines the Eastwood Centre with a new eat street, fresh food market and retail offering … topped by residential apartments encircling a landscaped 'big backyard.'"
Located next to Eastwood Station on a 1.2-hectare site, the approved scheme replaces the current 12,500-square-metre retail offering, which includes a Woolworths supermarket, and 2,400 square metres of commercial floor space. The redevelopment will deliver 41,421 square metres of residential floor area, and 21,587 square metres of commercial and retail space shared between five restaurants, 65 retail tenancies, four commercial tenancies, three mini-major tenancies and two supermarkets.
The firm's communique notes that the design has been "inspired by Eastwood's strong cultural ties with the Asian community" and "guided by the holistic concept of Jiefang - loosely translating to 'authentic' or 'neighbourhood feel.'"
AJC says that this principle has informed the design of the landscaping and built form, which includes a key pedestrian link connecting The Avenue, Rowe Street and Rutledge Street. This new laneway, labelled "eat street," will provide covered outdoor dining.
Internally, a network of arcades lined with shops on the Rowe Street level is intended to create a finer-grained urban experience. The lower ground level is centred on a fresh food market supported by smaller food stalls, speciality retail and mid-sized to large-format supermarkets. On the first floor, a series of restaurants with indoor-outdoor terraces face onto Rowe Street Mall.
Above the retail, a 3,200-square-metre landscaped communal space for residents is designed to create a "sunny, secluded garden for relaxation and play - bringing nature into the heart of this urban development," AJC notes.
The project consists of 411 apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms in size. Five affordable dwellings were secured through a previous planning agreement, which also includes public domain upgrades to the mall.
Senior project lead for design at AJC Kaustav Gupta commented, "The new centre is poised to reimagine urban living, where vibrant streets with an eclectic mix of food and retail overlap with lush green spaces - celebrating Eastwood's heritage and diverse community."
