Robert Kantor | founder and editor of Boutique Developer, and creative director of 630 Agency, a specialist project marketing and design agency. robert@630.com.au
It is no secret that consumers have decided that their dollars are worth a little more than they were a year or two ago.
The search for unique, well considered product is on – and those developers who are genuinely invested in delivering out of the box product (so to speak) continue to reap the rewards.
With this in mind, we took it upon ourselves to get to know some of the architects whose names are consistently associated with interesting, high-end projects.
Encouragingly, it seems that Sydney’s stable of exceptional architects is far wider than our cover, so with great difficulty we narrowed the group down to just five, with a view to presenting an ecclectic mix of thinkers and journeys.
It was my great pleasure to spend time with each one of these wonderful minds and to document a snippet of their colourful and impressive stories.
I was overwhelmed at every turn by the proliferation of inspiration, from the legendary interiors of BKH’s Iain Halliday, to the formidable urban renewal projects of Koichi Takada, the sculptural forms of William Smart, the distinctive place making of Adam Haddow and the process-driven results of Penny Fuller of Silvester Fuller.
We are very fortunate too, to have coaxed Brian Meyerson of MHNDU into providing a foreword to the edition that underscores the intent of this architectural feature – as Sydney’s burgeoning economy and population stimulates an inexhaustible appetite for the built environment.
Our city is expanding up and sideways and replicating itself over and again. From the renewal of the inner city to the pockets of new life springing up alongside billions of dollars worth of new infrastructure, linking suburbs and an emerging three cities plan. Sydney is bursting her banks from the east through to the new Western Sydney Airport – and the environments we create today will impact her position as a world-leading city for decades to come.
In endeavouring to extend this theme of quality and uniqueness, we are excited to present an insightful discussion with Stuart Penklis, Mirvac’s recently appointed Head of Residential Development on the much admired organisation’s approach to developing precinct-focused product that influences the quality of living for residents and communities.
Leanne Pilkington, Managing Director of Laing & Simmons and current president of the REINSW talks to us about quality in real estate agents in the light of recent and forthcoming measures taken to ensure best practice.
Regular contributor, Byron Rose of Rose & Jones offers us insights into the “build to rent” paradigm that is fast gaining an audible share of the real estate development conversation.
Leading independent global property consultancy, Knight Frank share the results of their quarterly reivew of the Australian market with us.
We talk to award winning interior designer of Parramatta’s The Lennox development, Lorena Gaxiola, about her approach, and we look through the lens of architectural photographer, Romello Perreira.
All in all, we’re extremely excited to share this exciting edition and deeply grateful to our featured architects along with our esteemed interviewees and contributors.
