Elysium Como

Elysium Como is a unique development that has 12 contemporary “New York Style” 1, 2 and 3 bed mezzanine apartments plus a variety of vibrant commercial spaces at the ground level.

Elysium Como is a mixed used development within the heart of the Perth suburb of Como.  The opportunity for this project came about when the local government’s desire to transform a local business area into a suburban centre, allowed an increase to the density requirements.  This unique development offers 12 contemporary “New York Style” 1, 2 and 3 bed mezzanine apartments plus a variety of commercial spaces at ground level.  With council policies requiring that new buildings match the aesthetic of adjacent lots, a curved roof was required and adopted as the prominent feature within the design of Elysium. The developers desire to provide low cost and energy efficient housing led to the design utilizing space within the curved roofs to incorporate an additional habitable floor within the strict height limitations.  This was successfully achieved with the planning of small yet spacious mezzanine dwellings aimed at the first home buyer’s market, which have been the primary purchasers within the building on completion.

Located on a street corner, the site provided a prominent opportunity for a café style alfresco area.  It was important to maintain a distinct separation between the commercial and residential uses.  As such the design was developed with two frontages. The ground floor commercial address the established commercial street and have visual connections to the nearby main road providing valuable advertising exposure.  The residential foyer is purposely located on the quieter street addressing the suburban green space opposite the site.  This project is a fine example of modern inner city living that celebrates variety within a community. 

The site and its height restrictions posed significant constraints on the building.  To achieve a third level within the roof space, compact floor to floor levels were required.  This paired with a high water table preventing any significant excavation resulted in numerous servicing conflicts.  Together with a team of consultants, the architects were able to resolve the building where both the commercial functions and residential needs were given equal priority to achieve the best overall outcome.  These included structural, mechanical, hydraulic, acoustic and electrical engineers, energy assessor and landscaper.  All apartments have been assessed for thermal performance with some achieving star ratings up to 7.1.

The development was a success with all apartments selling off the plan within a 2 month period. Which is a testament to the building filling a need within the community?  The project had a construction cost of $4.6million including G.S.T and turned a profit.  Elysium Como is the first mixed used building of its kind in the precinct and aims to encourage more developments of this nature in the area.