DKO was engaged to design the mixed-use building, Elm & Stone, having previously developed master plans for the area’s central and west precincts.

Two towers sit atop a shared podium, complete with rooftop pool, enabling each to look beyond the other. The towers ‘cleave apart’ revealing a curtain of bronzed glass punctured by cantilevered balconies. This design device ensures all dwellings receive maximum access to natural light and ventilation. Divided into a Quest Apartment Hotel to the south and apartments to the north, each tower has a distinctly upmarket Melbourne aesthetic thanks to a rich material palette and high-quality finishes.

With dense urban living in Melbourne becoming much more prevalent, DKO understands the need to appeal to a wider audience. As such, the design team explored new typologies of living – including mezzanine level accommodation and split-level terrace-style apartments – to bring a new and unique offering to the market.

Using New York City as a muse, the loft typology has been celebrated throughout. Three distinct palettes reference different boroughs (Upper East, Brooklyn, and Soho) and their respective stylistic idiosyncrasies. Concrete ceilings are tempered by warm timber floors, with black track lighting and textured joinery finishes. Mezzanine levels offer expanded, flexible living spaces – whether a home office space or second lounge, each space is flooded in natural light thanks to 4.5-metre high, north-facing windows. Industrial concrete is softened by cascading greenery that frames each apartment and planter boxes on the balconies invite residents to add to the building’s living façade.

Elm & Stone has implemented a number of facilities and features to achieve the ‘Award of Excellence’ – the highest level of environmental performance under the government’s rating tool established for Docklands.