Located on the banks of the Parramatta River, Ermington has a connection to the Royal Australian Navy dating back to World War ll. Serving as a navy store until 1990, it was declared surplus to requirements and rezoned for residential use in 1999. Shortly thereafter, Defence Housing Australia commissioned DKO Architecture to produce a master plan for a 17-hectare block of land called AE2, named after the first Australian submarine to enter the Gallipoli campaign.

The master plan provides generous landscaped parklands and wide pedestrian friendly streets for this new family community. Most streets align at right angles to the nearby Parramatta River, capturing views and connecting to the adjacent landscape. DKO carefully configured a mix of courtyard houses and townhouses with car access at the rear, which allows all houses generous windows for ‘eyes on the street’ and front door access.

On completion of the master plan, Defence Housing Australia commissioned DKO to design 250 dwellings, which boast a wide range of living opportunities and indoor/outdoor courtyard configurations. These features and others, such as palisade fencing, timber screens and first floor balconies, provide a defused boundary between the public and private realms and contribute to the street’s neighbourly character. Each house features a tightly edited modern vocabulary of materials, including unpainted brickwork, crisp, white-painted rendered walls and a selective use of warm timber and bright colours.

Ermington is composed of a family of related forms that allow for efficiencies in construction, yet deliver sculptural diversity along each street. Cantilevered first floor elevations and recessed openings add to the three-dimensional richness of the streetscape. Taken together, the development provides exceptional amenity and represents best practice in both contemporary urban design and residential architecture.