Nightingale Housing, a not-for-profit organisation, creates sustainable, low-carbon buildings that put people – rather than profit – at the centre.
The organisation’s Village project is a collective of six sustainable multi-storey apartment buildings in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne. The Village was built by Hacer Group and is the first carbon-neutral residential precinct in Australia.
Each of the buildings is unique, designed by a different award-winning architect.
Tensile was engaged to supply barriers and balcony green facades to the Nightingale ParkLife building.
About the building
Nightingale ParkLife was designed by Austin Maynard Architects, which was named Denzeen’s Architecture Studio of the Year in 2022.
The building, which contains a variety of apartment types plus commercial businesses, achieved an impressive NatHERS rating of 9.1 stars.
Architectural Awards for the project include multiple INDE Awards, Melbourne Design Award Gold for Better Future and Environmental Sustainability, Victorian Architectural Award for Urban Design, winner for ILU Awards for Excellence and many more!
Tensile’s scope
Our role was to design, supply and install safety barriers across the common areas of ParkLife. We also supplied the green facade cables to the balconies on the north side and rooftop common areas.
To make the barriers, we used 100mm x 1.5mm Jakob Webnet mesh – a lightweight but extremely robust barrier material. For the green facades, we used 4mm diameter wire-rope cables.
These products are made from marine-grade stainless steel, making them highly suited to outdoor projects where resistance to the elements is a requirement. While being made from 70% recycled material, they also have very low maintenance needs, which contributes to the sustainability focus of the project.
The materials provide the necessary safety in a tensile barrier, while being near-transparent in appearance – a combination of features that is unique to Tensile’s solutions.
To make the project happen, we worked with the architects early on and then later with Hacer on coordinating surrounding trades for a seamless process.
We see ParkLife as a very important project for Tensile, as it demonstrates a shift away from traditional commercial building towards projects that have a positive impact on individuals.
We also sometimes hear people say that what we do is “cold and sharp” – but this project shows how barrier solutions can be created to facilitate a sense of community and connection for occupants. This is a key driver of the Nightingale movement, and something we are proud to have contributed to!
