Nightingale Leftfield
Leftfield is part of ‘The Village’, a collection of six housing developments each designed by an award-winning architecture firm following the Nightingale’s principles. Designed by Kennedy Nolan architects, the multi-residential project was inspired by a drive to reduce urban sprawl while ensuring quality apartment living.
‘We were becoming increasingly sad and anxious about the sprawl of our city and the quality of new development in the suburbs we live in. It was time for us to engage in providing alternatives for apartment living – homes that are good value, have a great design and material quality and that are connected to community and infrastructure,’ says Victoria Reeves, Director of Architecture at Kennedy Nolan.
Nightingale projects value place-making and community building while ensuring that their buildings do more with less, meaning the properties are pared back, but materials are purposefully high quality, sustainable and often recyclable.
The material quality of Leftfield is aligned with this philosophy. Nubrik's Traditional range in Chapel Red is used to define the entry and, paired with red grout, the brickwork forms the basis of the whole building’s colour palette.
For Nightingale Leftfield, it is the texture, colour and historical associations of Nubrik’s pressed red which we have relied on to intensify the urban interface,’ says Reeves. ‘When laid with red mortar flush to the surface, the effect is velvety and rich but also durable and somehow familiar – a great way to project a welcome.’
For Kennedy Nolan, the brickwork was an easy choice. It links directly to the traditional historic masonry of Melbourne and its surface texture ‘improves with age’, according to Reeves. Additionally, having received a Climate Active Product Certification following a review of logistics, packaging, resource use and more, Nubriks certified carbon neutral.
While the building is designed to last, many components are suited to end-of-life circular economy use. The building is fossil fuel free, has an average 8.1 stars NatHERS rating and features 20 kilowatts of solar power.
‘We’ve used resources sparingly and for maximum amenity impact for the community that lives in this building. Materials such as recycled and FSC certified timber, locally manufactured brass tap and door hardware and terrazzo were selected for their low or no carbon content and the ability for re-use,’ says Reeves.
Alongside Nightingale Leftfield’s substantial environmental sustainability offering, social and financial considerations are also inherently addressed. The building includes Teilhaus apartments which are small affordable apartments that allow first homeowners or lower-income earners to get a foot into the property market. Additionally, the property has communal areas including a shared rooftop with veggie patches.
The Nightingale project, envisioned by Breathe and developed with a small group of collaborating architects, was formed around three core pillars: social, financial and environmental sustainability. Each development in the project is designed to fulfil these pillars by considering the most sustainable materials, delivering affordable housing options as part of the design, and encouraging a communal atmosphere.
The award-winning not-for-profit now has over 1000 projects delivered, in construction or in planning.
- With their crisp, sharp edges Nubrik traditional bricks exude quality and will endure for generations to come. Their elegance and honesty, rich colour blends and pressed face textures make them extremely popular with the discerning architect, builder and homeowner.
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