FLAT LAND
A reference survey of Melbourne’s Commission Flats
A note on this document. This was originally intended to be an exhaustive study. Unfortunately, time constraints put a limit on the scope of the work. Although it may not look it, the contents of this slim volume amounts to nearly month of full-time drawing, scouring archives, and modelling pre-fab flats. The information is as accurate as possible – I intend to improve upon it, offering proper schematics of each tower, and details of panel fixings, as well as current demographic studies of each estate and their status regarding refurbishment as demolition. In its current format then, this booklet is rather neutered. Information used in its construction has been attached on CD, and may proved useful to other students. Due to reasons of brevity and structural mystery, the four extant steel framed towers – the sixteen storey tower in Dorcas Street, the twenty storey in North Melbourne and the twinned, sixteen storey red-brick towers in Carlton – have been omitted. They are interesting exceptions to the overwhelming trend toward systematised design in Melbourne’s Housing Commission, and merit further investigation. The primary purpose of this volume is to impress upon the reader the sheer massivity of these structures, their prevalence in the metropolitan area, and their typological and often ingenious diversity. It is hoped that this might inspire students to choose a site other than Carlton or Atherton gardens – or, better still, a holistic approach to these great grey sentinels of Melbourne.
Tower Estates
Location of all HCV estates with extant towers over 8 stories. Flemington (Crown St)
Debney’s Park
North Melbourne A
Footscray (Gordon St)
North Melbourne B
Kensington (Holland Park)
Williamstown A
Williamstown B
Brunswick (Barkly Street)
Northcote (Heidelburg Road)
Carlton Estate A
Carlton Estate B
Collingwood Estate Atherton Gardens
Richmond Estate
Dorcas Estate
Park Towers
Prahran A
Prahran B
Prahran C
St Kilda (Inkerman St)
Name: Levels: Height:
‘L’ Tower 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Kensington x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
Indented ‘S’ Tower 20 Stories 56m to roof
Locations: Atherton Gardens x 4 Collingwood x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
Park Street Tower 30 Stories 82m to roof
Locations: Park Street x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
‘S’ Tower A 20 Stories 56m to roof
Locations: Carlton x 2 Debney’s Park x 1 North Melbourne x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
‘S’ Tower B 20 Stories 56m to roof
Locations: Debney’s Park x 3 Collingwood x 2
Name: Levels: Height:
‘S’ Tower C 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Prahran x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
‘S’ Tower D 20 Stories 56m to roof
Locations: Richmond x 5
Name: Levels: Height:
‘I’ Tower A 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Williamstown x 1 Flemington (Crown Street) x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
‘I’ Tower B 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Kensington x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
‘T’ Tower A 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Inkerman Street x 1 Carlton x 1 Footscray x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
‘T’ Tower B 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Prahran x 2
Name: Levels: Height:
‘Z’ Tower 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: Prahran x 1 Northcote x 1 Brunswick x 1
Name: Levels: Height:
Tri-Tower 12 Stories 35m to roof
Locations: North Melbourne x 1 Carlton x 1 Prahran x 2
Footscray
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Northcote
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Atherton Gardens
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Brunswick
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Richmond
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Richmond (cont)
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Collingwood
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Carlton A
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Carlton B
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Flemington
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Park Towers
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Dorcas St
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Williamstown A
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Williamstown B
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Kensington
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Prahran A
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Prahran B
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
Prahran C
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
North Melbourne B
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100
North Melbourne A
0
10
1:2000
20
30
40
50
75
100