When the Victorian Government entered into a joint venture with Walker Corporation to transform the old Kew Children’s Cottages into an integrated community of 360 to 400 houses, terraces and apartments, DKO secured the commission to master plan the development. The joint venture team envisioned a three-stage development, commissioning DKO to design stage one. The resulting residential development, including 20 community homes to accommodate intellectually disabled residents, is a finely balanced conversation between landscape and architecture.

Respecting the historical and cultural significance of the site was a key aspect of the urban design, which preserves remnant cottages and retains majestic stands of indigenous trees. DKO carefully choreographed the location and floor plan of new homes to preserve the root systems of mature trees and maximise views to this garden-esque site.

With a 30-metre land fall across the site from south to north, houses have been designed to hug the contours of the land. In some cases, this has allowed car parking at a level higher than the house, with the level difference cleverly deployed to screen cars from the rest of the house. The design optimises orientation for solar penetration, privacy and security. Extensive use of rainwater gardens and multiple bio-retention basins not only provide an additional landscape experience but also serve the functional purpose of reducing the impact of stormwater on the site’s drainage system.

The architectural character of these residences is rigourously modern in its orthogonal form and recessive detailing. Corners are articulated as bold cantilevered forms, while a high degree of plan diversity across the site renders a vibrant streetscape. This collage of forms, and the predominant use of brilliant white and zinc cladding, provides a dramatic counter-point to the verdant ground plane and the vivid blue Victorian sky.