Making a statement in Brunswick East

When developer Alec Woolley and architect Ben Wardle discovered this site in Melbourne’s vibrant Brunswick East, they saw an opportunity to do things a little differently. Brunswick East is a cool and buzzy area that attracts an eclectic mix of artists, students and young professionals, with quirky cafes, stylish bars, popular restaurants and weekly markets dotted throughout. The strong community feel was also a major factor that made building there so attractive. The block they decided to develop came with a few challenges, as it was relatively small, sloped away from a busy road, and sat tightly alongside a neighbouring home. But rather than seeing limitations, they recognised potential.

The result is a striking paired development that sits confidently within its streetscape.

Pushing the envelope with colour and style

This isn’t your typical dual-occupancy project. Instead of creating two identical homes, Alec and Ben took a more thoughtful approach. “As is often the case, dual occupancies can feel like mirror images,” says Alec. “We wanted to respond to the site by designing two residencies that complement rather than copy each other.”

One home takes the form of a bold, solid square - a brick construction painted to match the COLORBOND® steel colour Surfmist®. The other is a more expressive gabled design, featuring both steel cladding and roofing in COLORBOND® steel in Pale Eucalypt® -a soft green tone that reflects Brunswick East’s creative, artistic spirit. “We were designing for a market we know well,” Alec explains. “People here appreciate something a little bit different. It’s not a conservative area, so there’s room to push the envelope with colour and style and this felt like the perfect fit.”

Did you know: Most major paint suppliers colour match to COLORBOND® steel colours, making it easy for you to plan your colour design by matching painted surfaces to COLORBOND® steel colours

Low maintenance, high appeal

The site’s constraints played a big role in shaping the final design. Surrounded by double-storey brick terraces and influenced by the slope and curve of the street, the homes needed to feel strong and well-positioned.

Using COLORBOND® steel on the facade and upper levels of the Pale Eucalypt® home proved to be both practical and visually striking.

“Having a lightweight, prepainted material that can span two storeys gave us more freedom to experiment with colour,” says Alec. “And it’s incredibly low maintenance.”

That low-maintenance factor is increasingly important to buyers, according to Ben. “Buyers today are much more aware of long-term upkeep,” he says. “Because the site slopes quite steeply at the rear, access is limited. So having a material that doesn’t require repainting is a real advantage.”

An eye-catching arrival

The COLORBOND® steel in Pale Eucalypt® exterior makes an immediate impression.

“As you approach the site along the bend in the road, the first thing you see is the roofline, followed by the facade,” Alec says. “It creates a really striking first impression.”

Making the most of limited space

With space at a premium, every design decision mattered.

“We were really pushing to maximise the available living space,” Alec explains. “Using cladding made from COLORBOND® steel helped us achieve that without compromising on design.”

Conscious design

Sustainability was another consideration. Brunswick East has a strong community focus on environmentally conscious living, from local produce gardens to renewable energy initiatives. The use of COLORBOND® steel aligned with this approach – not only is it locally manufactured, the steel itself contains recycled content and is also 100% recyclable.*

Seamless colour integration

As part of addressing sustainable design requirements for new builds, Ben noted that councils often favour adjustable shading on east and west-facing facades. In this case, they designed an external electric blind concealed by a bespoke metal shroud.

The good news was how simple it was to get a powder coater to match the Pale Eucalypt® COLORBOND® steel colour on both the blind and shroud, allowing them to integrate seamlessly into the front facade. It’s a simple process that they also use on things like window frames, creating exact matches with any of the colours across the COLORBOND® steel Classic colour range.

A trusted and popular choice

For Alec, specifying COLORBOND® steel also brings strong appeal when it comes time to sell.

“It’s such a well-recognised and trusted product,” he says. “When buyers hear that both the roof and facade use COLORBOND® steel, it’s always a positive.”

This distinctive dual-occupancy project reflects the creative energy of Brunswick East.

Developed by Alec Woolley of Napoleon Developments, designed by Ben Wardle of Wardle Design, and built using COLORBOND® steel - proudly Made by Australia.

Footnote:

*BlueScope actively works to increase the recycled content of our products and we regularly update recycled content figures to reflect this. For the most current information visit steel.com.au/resources/articles/recycled content