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0714 La Crosse

La Crosse, our new mixed use retail, commercial and residential project at Docklands, is many things to many people. It’s hard to imagine how influences as diverse as Predator, ancient urban design, origami and the natural world could come together to create this response, but like all of our projects, the answer lies with process rather than design.

To address the significant challenges of the La Crosse site, including level changes, traffic and footprint, we turned to Buckminster Fuller’s Design Science Planning Process – in simple terms this process “helps make the world work” through a method that examines design problems from a holistic, anticipatory and integrative perspective, producing results that can be tested empirically against their original intention. Sounds good, right? By embedding the Design Science Planning Process into our existing approach, we realised that such a complex site required an equally complex solution that addressed each element separately, whilst retaining a cohesive identity.

La Crosse’s towers and podium are reminiscent of solid rock eroded by forces, forming ravines and chasms. In this case, the forces are people, and the ravines and chasms are 1km of activated, shoplined arcades that run through the base of the building. This commercial function is a modern day ‘Change’, the fusion of market and financial that marked traditional centres and grew into the Money Exchange – seen in the timber stair and stone and art walls.

In the natural world, the by-products of erosion are pebbles, and at La Crosse, these are two glazed pods that house retail spaces. A study in invisibility, the perforated mirror effect of the pods is created by seraphic glass to the back face, with a 20% reflective film on the front. This cinematic architecture recalls Predator, due to the fluid visual compilation, your peripheral vision only registers the disturbance around you.

Each of La Crosse’s two towers have two slabs, the ends of which form waving walls – white concrete panels with windows inset that create a pattern of reflective leaves that can be read matte or shiny. The internal facing tower walls are also reflective, we used mirrored screens to increase privacy and prevent people from looking into the apartments.

We were required to address substantial solar loading issues for the 20 storey 100m long East and West facades. The aluminium origami like screens that are arrayed organically operate as solar shields, forming a mesh screen that blocks heat coming from the outside in without blocking the view from the inside out. These structures create a series of cables and rods, using Buckminster Fuller’s concept of ‘tensegrity’ – objects are either tension or compression but never both – he really was our muse for this project!

The wall of the carpark facing Wurundjeri Way and the East façade of the podium are woven screens, aligning with Semper’s belief that architecture has its origins in the textile arts.

The carpark wall is read best at speed, departing from the usual graphic style of drive-by architecture, the industrial design of the louvres create a moire effect. The podium wall takes its cues from Borromini’s balustrade, an Elenberg Fraser trope. We break the rules Baroque style, upturning every second bell-shape on the folding screen for added effect.

We might not wear lab-coats, but we couldn’t have designed La Crosse without science – or at least the Design Science Planning Process. Its identity is the city itself, its hustle and bustle is made up of diverse textures and influences, traversing, time, space and place. Check out La Crosse and live a little.

ProJeCT TYPe MUlTI-RESIDENTIAl, coMMERcIAl, MIxED USE, INTERIoRS

ProJeCT aDDress675 lATRoBE STREET MElBoURNE, VIcToRIA AUSTRAlIA

ProJeCT TeaMCLienT: URBAN INc AND chARTER hAll CounCiL: MElBoURNE cITy coUNcIleLenberg Fraser: cAllUM FRASER, AIVARS KRISTENS,KAR lENgSTRoM, EDwARD PEARSE, DAVID PAlMER,chRIS McMIllAN, DEDy TjAhjADI, ANDREw MAyNE,NATAlIE clARK, lINDA VAlENTIc, KAThRIN whEIBProJeCT Manager: PDS gRoUPConTraCTor: l.U. SIMoN BUIlDERSTown PLanner: coNToUR coNSUlTANTS AUSTRAlIAbuiLDing surveYor: gARDNER gRoUPLanD surveYor: REEDS coNSUlTINgQuanTiTY surveYor: SlATTERy AUSTRAlIAsTruCTuraL engineer: wEBBER DESIgNMeChaniCaL engineer: MURchIE coNSUlTINghYDrauLiC engineer: MURchIE coNSUlTINgeLeCTriCaL engineer: MURchIE coNSUlTINgserviCes engineer: MURchIE coNSUlTINgFire engineer: ThoMAS NIcholASaCousTiC engineer: MARShAll DAy AcoUSTIcSTraFFiC engineer: cARDNo lIMITEDesD ConsuLTanT: SUITABlE BUIlT ENVIRoNMENTSLanDsCaPe arChiTeCT: EDAw (AEcoM)wasTe ConsuLTanT: wASTEch ENgINEERINg3D renDerer: EVolVE 3DESIgN

TiMe – Design / DoCuMenTaTion: 24 MoNThSTiMe – ConsTruCTion: 18 MoNThS (ESTIMATED)

ProJeCT CosT: STAgE 1 AUD$80M, STAgE 2 AUD$80M (APPRox)

gross FLoor area: 36,000SqM

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MaTeriaLs, Finishes, ProDuCTs

buiLDing sPeCiFiCaTion DeTaiLs: buiLDing FraMe anD FabriCFLoors: REINFoRcED coNcRETEeXTernaL waLLs: APPlIED FINISh To PRE-cAST whITE coNcRETE wITh RElIEF PATTERN / RENDERED MASoNRy AND / oR coMPoSITE METAl clADDINg oVER DiviDing waLLs: PRE-cAST coNcRETE / MASoNRy wAllS wITh PlASTERBoARD lININg, AcoUSTIcAlly TREATEDinTernaL waLLs: STUD FRAMED PlASTERBoARD wAllSrooF: REINFoRcED coNcRETE wITh wATERPRooF MEMBRANE winDows / gLaZing: FUll hEIghT AND wIDTh hIgh PERFoRMANcE SolAR coNTRol DoUBlE glAzED wINDow SySTEMS – SATIN BlAcK AlUMINIUM FRAMES. FUll hEIghT DoUBlE glAzED SlIDINg DooRS To TERRAcESeXTernaL baLusTraDe: clEAR ToUghENED glASS – PowDERcoATED BlAcK FRAMES aParTMenT eXTernaL sCreens: PASSIVE SolAR AND wIND coNTRol PERFoRATED AlUMINIUM ScREENS wITh VARIED oRIENTATIoN AND FUlly FRAMED glAzED ScREENS oF VARyINg oRIENTATIoN baLConies / TerraCes: FUlly DRAINED wITh SElEcTED cERAMIc TIlINgLanDsCaPing: low lEVEl PRE-cAST PlANTERS wITh chARcoAl PAINT AND TIMBER FINISh AND SElEcTED PlANTINg To All PUBlIc TERRAcES IN PRoPRIETARy AUToMATIc SElF wATERINg PlANTER SySTEM CarParK: REINFoRcED coNcRETE STRUcTURE wITh clEAR SEAl FINIShCarParK eXTernaL sCreens: PowDERcoATED AlUMINIUM PERFoRATED AlUMINIUM ScREENS

buiLDing sPeCiFiCaTion DeTaiLs: buiLDing serviCeshoT waTer serviCe: cENTRAl gAS FIRED hoT wATER SySTEM wITh SolAR BooST air ConDiTioning: INDIVIDUAl REVERSE cyclE SPlIT Ac SySTEMSheaTing: INDIVIDUAl REVERSE cyclE SPlIT Ac SySTEMS baThrooM anD LaunDrY eXhausT: DUcTED SySTEM wITh ExTERNAl DISchARgEKiTChen eXhausT: DUcTED SySTEM wITh ExTERNAl DISchARgE CooKing FaCiLiTies: gAS hoT PlATE, ElEcTRIc oVENseCuriTY / aCCess ConTroL: AUDIo / VISUAl INTERcoM wITh REMoTE DooR AccESS coNTRol, SEcURITy AccESS To MAIN ENTRy AND lIFTS, SEcURITy AccESS To cARPARK buiLDing inTerCoM: AUDIo / VISUAl INTERcoM, INTEgRATED wITh AccESS coNTRol SySTEMFire ProTeCTion: SMoKE DETEcTIoN, ThERMAl DETEcToR AND SPRINKlER SySTEM To All lEVEl coMMoN AREAS INDIVIDUAl SMoKE DETEcToRS AND SPRINKlERS To EAch APARTMENT IN AccoRDANcE wITh AUThoRITy REqUIREMENTS LiFTs: SEcURED lIFTS To All lEVElS TeLevision: 2No. SEPARATE cABlINg SySTEMS RETIcUlATED To EAch APARTMENT, cATERINg FoR FREE To AIR AND PAy TVhigh sPeeD inTerneT: cABlE coNNEcTIoN To EAch APARTMENT To SERVIcE PRoVIDERS lATEST SPEcIFIcATIoN TeLePhone: 5No. x 4PAIR cABlINg wIThIN APARTMENTS, wITh oUTlETS To EAch BEDRooM AND lIVINg SPAcE

buiLDing sPeCiFiCaTion DeTaiLs: CoMMon areasenTrY LobbY: FlooR FINIShES – SElEcTED gRANITE TIlINg AND coIR ENTRANcE MATTINg. wAll FINIShES – glAzED TIlINg To lIFT coRE AND PAINTED PlASTERBoARD To wAllS gENERAlly TYPiCaL aParTMenT LobbY: FlooR FINIShES – SElEcTED wool BlEND cARPET. wAll FINIShES – PAINTED PlASTERBoARD

La Crosse

PhoTograPher ConTaCT DeTaiLs

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PETER clARKEPETER clARKE PhoTogRAPhy 4c cEcIl PlAcE PRAhRAN VIcToRIA 3181 AUSTRAlIA TElEPhoNE + 61 (0) 3 9529 5299PETER@PETERclARKE.coM.AU

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