Remodelling the build-to-rent model with award-winning Australian property developers Mirvac alongside revered designers Hecker Guthrie and FK.
March 27th, 2025
Illustrious Australian property developers Mirvac have joined forced with interior designers Hecker Guthrie and multi-disciplinary design practice FK (Fender Katsalidis) to design LIV Aston. It’s a space envisioned around the creation of a community through the considered design of shared spaces and integration of domesticity and hotel-like features.
Mirvac opened the doors to its build-to-rent property, LIV Aston earlier this year. Set within Melbourne’s concrete jungle, the property accommodates 474 much-needed renter-only apartments and 20 dedicated affordable housing apartments. LIV Aston is the inaugural operational building within a contemporary mixed-use precinct delivered by Mirvac at North Wharf, amalgamating build-to-rent apartments with a world-class office building, retail and shared community spaces.
“Build-to-rent projects call for considered design that will attract tenants and help to promote long-term sustainable communities. Our design philosophy for the interior was to bring both domesticity and hotel-like qualities together as one,” says Stacey Van Harn, Director at Hecker Guthrie. “We focused on creating an atmosphere of timeless comfort for the rental occupants and elevating the apartments with custom features. Mirvac’s LIV Aston features a series of cleverly curated design moments throughout the many generous communal spaces that act as an extension of each resident’s home.”
With extensive amenities, LIV Aston houses an array of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, and features 2,600 square metres of indoor and outdoor resident facilities, centred around a health and wellness hub. With the ever-evolving wellness landscape, the features include a 25-metre lap pool and spa, traditional and infrared saunas, a fully equipped gym and a multi-purpose room for classes. Residents can engage in a rooftop lounge, outdoor dining and BBQ area, cinema and media room, co-working and green spaces, including a pet park. Additionally, the project incorporates retail and hospitality tenancies to activate the space and improve the ground plane experience, fostering a convivial resident community.
Suggested: Hassell’s Perth BTR housing gets thumbs up from the Prime Minister
“Through the planning and development process of this project, our vision for LIV Aston was for a tranquil and welcoming haven, providing residents with a peaceful retreat from the bustling energy of the Melbourne CBD. We tasked our design partners, Hecker Guthrie and FK, to create the apartment and communal spaces to embody comfort and relaxation, while amplifying health and wellness,” says Sarsha Durham, National Development Director, Build to Rent, at Mirvac. “The collective design effort has been able to bring this vision to life. Building on LIV Aston’s enviable aspect down the Yarra River and out to the bay, Mirvac’s collaboration with both teams has reimagined urban life by creating a space that embodies ‘moments of joy’ within the heart of Melbourne.”
The property has ambitious ESG targets, water and recycling initiatives and 100% renewable electricity for residents. The building is targeting a 7.5-star average NatHERS, 5-star Green Star Design & As-Built and 4 Star NABERS Office Base Building Energy certification.
Developer
Mirvac
Interior Design
Hecker Guthrie
Architecture
FK | Fender Katsalidis
Next up: Fitzroy & Co is a case study on how thoughtful design can reinvigorate urban rental housing
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Schneider Electric’s new range are making bulky outlets a thing of the past with the new UNICA X collection.
Within the intimate confines of compact living, where space is at a premium, efficiency is critical and dining out often trumps home cooking, Gaggenau’s 400 Series Culinary Drawer proves that limited space can, in fact, unlock unlimited culinary possibilities.
Elevate any space with statement lighting to illuminate and inspire.
In design, the concept of absence is particularly powerful – it’s the abundant potential of deliberate non-presence that amplifies the impact of what is. And it is this realm of sophisticated subtraction that Gaggenau’s Dishwasher 400 Series so generously – and quietly – occupies.
Helen Oakey is CEO of Renew and, with Sustainable House Day 2025 upon us, she talks to us about the climate crisis and what people can do at the scale of the home.
fjcstudio leads by design and the practice’s Melbourne studio is making quite the impact on the built landscape of Victoria.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Commercial specification just got more circular thanks to some new finish options for some of Klaro’s most loved pieces.
We spoke to the Belgian architect about his work ‘Optô,’ which was on display as part of the exhibition ‘Poetica’ by WonderGlass at Milan Design Week 2025.