Goldfields House
,
South Yarra
Dovetailing with a built environment designed by Cox Architects, Goldfields House, located at 627 Chapel Street, features a verdant landscape plane that shapes a dynamic streetscape.

Goldfields House
,
South Yarra
,
2022
Aesthetically enhancing the site while encouraging public interaction, the streetscape features continuous sawn bluestone paving that immediately establishes a cohesive transition from the road edge to the building façade; the design adheres to council requirements for wider footpaths that activate the public realm.
The project’s planting palette is a thoughtful mix of Australian natives and selected exotics, ensuring year-round visual interest. Highlighted by hardy Lomandra grasses and the cheerful Hardenbergia (Happy Wanderer Vine), the landscape also includes Chanticleer Ornamental Pears, Indian Hawthorns, Weeping Lily Pillies and lush Crepe Myrtle trees. The combination of deciduous and evergreen species provides seasonal variation and a lush green interface that softens the streetscape.
Thoughtfully designed raised planters accommodate street trees and feature built-in seating, shaping impromptu meeting places and moments for pedestrians to pause. This design approach emphasises a welcoming, domestic feel, moving away from austere commercial architecture. With generous setbacks and integrated greenery, Goldfields House represents a harmonious blend of landscape and architecture, creating a vibrant, inviting space that enriches the urban experience on Chapel Street.