Anchorage Townhouse Development, Port Adelaide 

The design philosophy was to create a sense of uniqueness that felt cohesive as a whole

Tectvs was asked to provide a masterplan for the development of land in the commercial heart of Port Adelaide. The vacant land, surrounded by a main atrial road as well as three, quieter historic suburban streets. The objective was to bring new life to the area, attracting young professionals and empty-nesters, by developing a quality ‘contemporary lifestyle’ townhouse precinct. 

The townhouses were designed to be an incarnation of a modern home set within a historic location. The locality of the development provided a unique opportunity, a virtual, textural design sandbox. Visual cues from the surrounding historic streets and buildings would feature as elements within the design of each townhouse, depending on its street location. The townhouses were to feature either brick, predominantly red; bagged or textured treatments; sections of stone; polished block and tiles; clear-finished timber or unfinished metal. 

The exterior design was articulated to provide visual variety with a small setback court to the entry of each townhouse. This reduced the scale from the street level, enabling each townhouse to be framed using a variety of fencing structures and building materials. Having multiple street frontages allowed Tectvs to vary the townhouse heights according to the streetscape allowing each group of townhouses to have their own visual identity. Residents benefited from having a sense of space, with the balconies of the townhouses being orientated to overlook a central area. 

The result was contemporary, modern-day architecture that appreciated the days of old.