‘It’s a game-changer’: How we can save Australia’s oldest apartment buildings from ruin—Sue Williams, Domain
A before shot of the Bondi apartment building that will be brought into the 21st century with balconies and beautiful new common spaces. Photo: Maxbuild
A dilapidated 1930s three-storey apartment building in Sydney where unused space is being converted into extra units, and balconies are being added, is forging the future for more than 100,000 crumbling old blocks throughout Australia. In what’s being hailed as a game-changer for strata nationally, the redesign and renewal of the Bondi Beach property will transform the decrepit property into a smart, up-to-date, much more valuable set of units – and act as a prototype for much of the rest of the ageing apartment stock. “This is the forerunner, really, for strata renewal in Australia,” said Caroline McConnachie, general manager of Maxbuild, a building company specialising in strata. “It’s about adaptation and remediation and bringing the whole building up to scratch, and then turning it into a role model of what you can achieve with ageing buildings. “It will inspire confidence, bravery and perseverance among owners to get something similar done. Being able to see a finished building, and knowing that the process will become quicker as more buildings come online, will make all the difference. This is the game-changer for strata.” The Bondi project, being financed by selling off the new lots, the sale of air space and a strata loan, has also kicked off plans for a major new three-year research project into renewing ageing apartment buildings.
The basement in the Bondi building. Photo: Maxbuild
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