Tarakan Street is the redevelopment of the former 1956 Olympic Village into a connected residential and community neighbourhood. Funded under the Victorian Government’s Big Housing Build, it comprises 130 tenure-blind social and affordable homes spread across three buildings, arranged around valued existing trees and set within a new, generous garden.

Tarakan Street creates amenity within and beyond its site boundary. Working with the local community, the focus was on what the project could do for them, looking for opportunities to add generosity where neighbourhood facilities were lacking. Perimeter fences have been removed and shared green spaces have been created for surrounding residents to enjoy.

A contextual design response delivers a 210 per cent increase in accessible, GreenStar Certified, all-electric homes while maintaining a neighbourhood-appropriate scale. With inbuilt adaptability for future change, all apartments are sited with views to the gardens to enhance resident wellbeing. An emphasis has been placed on beautiful locally made materials to support local manufacturing and radically reduce embodied carbon in transport miles.

The history of the project site is honoured through the retention of twenty canopy trees planted during the establishment of the Olympic Village. The project is configured around these trees so that their scale, shade, habitat and memory endure.

Furniture: No loose furniture. All built-in joinery by Trendgosa (made in Heidelberg, 1km from project). Lighting: Twiggy Pillar, Nocturnal Lighting, Made in Heatherbrae NSW, Firefly Spot, Nocturnal Lighting, Made in Heatherbrae NSW, T_Mini Track, Artefact Industries, Made in Rowville Vic, Edo wall sconce, ISM Objects, Mentone Vic. Finishes: Austral Bricks, Brickworks (made in Wollert, + Certified Carbon Neutral by Brickworks through their ‘Climate Active Certification’), Tiling interiors Classic Ceramics, Ghost Oak Engineered Timber Flooring, George Fethers, Tango Carpet, George Low, Braeside Vic, Paint – Zylone Sheen ZERO, Resene (Greenstar innovation Credit), Other paint (eg wet areas) Dulux. Fittings & Fixtures: Kitchen Appliances – Fisher & Paykel, Scala taps and accessories, Sussex Taps (Carbon Neutral, made in Somerton Vic), Niki Door hardware, Designer Doorware, Sanitaryware – Caroma, Kiri Satinjet, Methven (showerhead), Blinds, Vertilux Blinds (Made in Tullamarine, Vic), Timber Stairs – Growling Timber Stairs (made in Vermont).

Photography: Dianna Snape