With its On Hills Central residential project, Cox Architecture is bringing style and amenity to Rouse Hill in Sydney’s northwest. Taking inspiration from the Hills District natural environment, On Hills Central has been conceived to respond to the area’s unique climate and lifestyle. Through design, it offers community connection and interaction for residents.

Cox has been involved with the area for some time through the Rouse Hill Town Centre masterplan and On Hills Central is the first built project in the grand re-design of this township. Combining expert exterior layout and interior spatial planning with durable and natural materials, the On Hills Central project marks a new direction for design to re-invigorate the community.

Lead on the project and Director at Cox Architecture, Felipe Miranda, and his team have designed this project for longevity; the building will grow in beauty through the use of bricks and brick detailing. Authentic materials give substance to On Hills Central and the surrounding area and mark Rouse Hill as a leader in design and architecture.

Miranda says: “This is actually the first building built in the future zone (masterplan), and the aspirations that both Cox and [developer] Ecospective had for the site are embodied in this building, which looks very different to everything else. It’s a precursor of what’s to come.”

With 141 studio, two-, three- and some four-bedroom apartments, there is a place for everyone. The apartments have been designed larger than government regulation so there is room to move in the ten-storey building, which also includes a basement.

In the past, aluminium panels were often used on the façade of such residential structures; however, Cox has introduced bricks and crafted a brise soleil that also aids in better ventilation for residents. The use of bricks also creates a new language of design that is significant and substantial.

“We used dry-pressed bricks in the building and the reason is that we had the brick screen and brick pop-out details. We couldn’t use bricks that were extruded because you could see the insides of the bricks. So, quality products and a great outcome,” explains Miranda.

Places for residents to gather are vitally important. Level two becomes the place to enjoy summertime with shaded areas and tropical plantings, while level seven, the rooftop garden, catches the sun and becomes a wintertime space for residents to meet and gather among the indigenous and local flora.

Landscaping by OCULUS with interiors by TURNER Studio ensures that every aspect of On Hills Central has been planned and executed with quality and finesse.

Miranda comments: “We worked very closely with OCULUS… they formulated the idea of the winter and the summer spaces. And obviously the planting selection that they had for both of these spaces suited that as well. So, the planting and the experience that you have down in level two, which is the shaded summer space, is much more tropical, not indigenous. And then, obviously, the plantings on level seven were indigenous, because they were in full sun for all of the year.”

Sustainability is a given and with excellent cross ventilation, solar and rainwater harvesting, residents live in homes that are in tune with the environment and more cost effective.

While On Hills Central is just the beginning of the revitalised township of Rouse Hill, it has set the bar high for what is to come. Excellent architecture is for everyone and On Hills Central in Sydney’s northwest is a shining example of what can be achieved when design for place and people are expertly combined to achieve best practice.

COX
coxarchitecture.com.au

OCULUS
oculus.info

TURNER Studio
turnerstudio.com.au

Photography
Mark Syke

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