Pavilion

Located on Old South Head Road, Vaucluse, Pavilion is a boutique residential development consisting of nineteen apartments. Crafted to exist in concert with its surroundings, Pavilion exudes an experiential sense of congruousness with its natural and built environment. With an overarching architectural intention to generate a palpable sense of place, MHNDU have aimed to reinforce the referential relationship between the building and its site. Characterised by contextual design strategies which seek to naturalise the building in its locale, as well as capitalise on its proximity to ocean visuals, the apartment orients itself deliberately towards spectacular sea vistas through the strategic fanning out of the northern and southern elevations. Designed to be permeable and open, the living areas direct towards the east and the Pacific, allowing for a fluid integration of the natural surroundings into the living spaces. The building form, outlined by its intentional staggering and angling along Old South Head Road, aligns itself with neighbouring structures. Drawing upon materials evocative of the coastal location, the intentionally limited palette aims to create a cohesive architectural language for the structure. Primarily drawing upon timber-look aluminium battens which clad the angled and curved walls, the spacing of which are adjusted on different parts of the facade, we have integrated play and movement to the overall design. Board-form concrete walls flank the entry and line the bridges, while curved white masonry balustrades and offset black cladding are employed as an abstraction against the more natural tones used on the predominant building elements.