Rethinking Apartment Living Through Movement and Space

The conversation offered an opportunity to look beyond the finished spaces and consider the design ideas that shaped them, with the discussion covering MORQ’s connection to its Roman origins, to the changing meaning of luxury and the role of landscape in apartment living.

For Quagliola, the project provided an opportunity to explore an idea that has informed MORQ’s work across architecture, interiors and landscape – the relationship between people and nature. “I’ve always been interested in landscape and interiors, and architecture is what brings them together,” he says. His thinking is partly rooted in his childhood in Rome, where some of his earliest memories of apartment living involved a strong connection to greenery. At 49 Walsh Street, that idea was translated to a different scale, with the nearby Botanical Gardens providing an important part of the context.

The project also reflects South Yarra’s long history of embracing contemporary architecture alongside its established heritage fabric. For Sinclair, working in the Domain Precinct carries a sense of responsibility to that history. “There’s an incredible legacy of commissioning progressive architecture in South Yarra,” he says. “We felt a strong commitment to continuing that tradition.”

The conversation examined the changing meaning of luxury in residential architecture. Sinclair says it is less about overt signs of expense and more about the quality of a space and the consideration behind its execution.

“Luxury is quality space, quality execution, quality construction, quality design consideration," he says. “It’s really the sum of all those parts.”

For Quagliola, the measure is ultimately more personal. “Luxury is about the experience and the lifestyle that it enables,” he says, describing architecture as something that should positively affect the senses and wellbeing of the person living in it.

That focus on experience is particularly evident in the building’s circulation. Rather than treating corridors as leftover space, MORQ uses changes in light, views and openings to create a sequence through the building.

For Sinclair, the corridors are one of the project’s defining elements. “The word corridor doesn’t really do them justice,” he said, pointing to the long and short vistas, reflected light and carefully considered connections between spaces.

The discussion also returned to the “wear in, not out” principle that has long guided Neometro’s approach to development. Sinclair said quality comes from collaboration and having a team aligned around the desired outcome, referencing that the aim is for buildings to remain something their creators can be proud of decades after completion.

“We want to be as proud of our buildings in 10, 20, 30 years as we are when we finish them,” he says. 

Time is also part of the landscape. Planting will mature around the building, gradually changing its relationship with the street and the apartments.

For Quagliola, one of the project’s most successful spaces is a ground floor apartment, where the garden transforms into an entertaining area that draws light into the kitchen, living and dining room.

“It feels very peaceful,” he says. “You feel protected, and you feel drawn outside.” 

The conversation ultimately returned to a question that sits beyond the specifications of any one apartment, exploring how architecture can shape the experience of everyday life, through the spaces we move through, the landscape and context we look towards and the living qualities that reveal themselves over time. 

Thank you to Alice Blackwood for moderating the conversation. To learn more about 49 Walsh Street, visit our website, or see more of MORQ's work on their website. Words by Marty Kulczyk. Photography by Michael Pham.