Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore wielded the scissors, declaring Locarno and the landscaped roads around it, open. “This is an historic day,” she told a crowd of invited guests that included Mirvac CEO and Managing Director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, and project architect

Locarno (named after a former trotting champion) comprises 298 apartments and terraces spread across four buildings. It is only a small part of the entire six-stage development, due for completion in 2017, which will eventually be home to around 2,500 people.

Indesign was given a private tour of one of Locarno’s terrace homes and a three-bedroom apartment, and we really liked what we saw.

The building exterior subtly hints at the traditional Victorian terrace typology found around the adjacent suburbs of Glebe, Forest Lodge and Annandale. Vernacular materials such as exposed brick, timber, and bronze coloured aluminium create a dynamic façade that plays with light, shade and reflection.

Such textural interest is apparent right through the development, from the foyers with their reinterpreted pressed metal ceilings and carpeted walls, to the water-saving landscaping elements utilising natural stone and native foliage.

“The textural nature of the design represents the rich tapestry of Glebe’s history, while stating this is the future,” said Andrew La National Housing Design Director Mirvac Design.

Inside, the design is clean and minimal. Spaces are light-filled and more than generous in scale.

“When you look at a traditional terrace house it is quite dark and damp. We opened our terraces right up to let in the light and air,” La says.

The three-bedroom terrace we viewed had a 165-square-metre floorplan, with direct access to an underground carpark plus storage. The three-bedroom apartment was 123-square-metres, with a 50-square-metre balcony.

Both are specified with Miele appliances throughout, Grohe tapware, 40mm reconstituted stone benchtops, ducted air-conditioning and vitrified tile floors in the kitchen/dining/living spaces.

La and his team have played it safe with a neutral palette of creams and tans. “We didn’t want to impose a colour-scheme on the customer; we’ve left it for them to style it as they desire, to make it their own,” he says.

Harold Park is set on 10.6 hectares with more than a third (3.8 hectares) dedicated for future parkland, and forming a continuous 20 hectare green corridor linking to the harbour foreshore. The old tram shed depot at the northern end of the site will be preserved and adaptively reused to become a market style retail destination and community hub.

The most recent precinct release Altivolo, sold out in a day and Mirvac is currently awaiting DA approval for the fifth precinct.