The Sydney apartments that no one ever wants to leave

For Rebecca Kaiser and her husband Ian Thackeray, the decision to move from their Newtown terrace of 30 years to The Rochford apartments in Erskineville was spur of the moment.

“Nearly instinctive,” said Kaiser, a retired editorial director at Allen & Unwin.

Inside The Rochford apartments.Credit: Sam Mooy

The couple had always used spreadsheets to make decisions. “Not this,” said Kaiser.

The U-shaped five- to six-storey block with 75 units has won major awards for apartment design and construction. This included the Aaron Bolot award – the top award – from the NSW Institute of Architects and the Master Builders Association of NSW Excellence in Housing Awards.

As the NSW government plans to introduce greater density near shopping centres and transport hubs, it has included The Rochford, which was built in 2018, as an exemplar of density done well.

In much the same way as new cars and restaurants get reviewed, the Herald has launched this regular feature where independent architects, academics, builders and other experts visit a range of apartments with an eye to market trends, policy, reliability, sustainability, quality, layout and amenities.

Apartment owners Rebecca Kaiser and Ian Thackeray during the walkthrough of The Rochford apartments in Erskineville.Credit: Sam Mooy

The NSW government’s case study says Rochford was an “excellent benchmark” that could be emulated in many other urban areas. It singled out its use of robust materials, generous rooftop and its indoor-outdoor kitchens that open onto the oversized and deep square balconies.

Kaiser said they immediately paid a deposit on the $1.15 million, 91.2-square-metre two-bedroom apartment. With its 30-square-metre balcony, the total space is about 30 per cent larger than recommended in the Australian Design Guide.

Turnover is low at the block. A year ago, a similar apartment to Kaiser’s sold for $1.51 million. A three-bedroom on the top floor sold for $1.75 million two years ago.

With about 8600 people per square kilometre, and more blocks going up, Erskineville’s density rose by 20 per cent between 2016 and 2021.

Emily Wombwell of SJB and Hayden Co’burn of CplusC architects during the walkthrough.Credit: Sam Mooy

More is coming, including Coronation’s build-to-rent project featuring affordable housing. It will include 1228 apartments over six buildings ranging in height from two to 11 storeys.

If you are looking for the gritty Erko of the past that was home to what was once called the “noxious trades” of tanning and fellmongering (removing the wool from a sheepskin), it is hard to find. These days the fumes are more likely to be expensive coffee.

The local public school’s enrolment, though, is short of the cap, probably because the area is becoming more expensive.

Architect Conrad Johnston of Studio Johnston, previously Fox Johnston, said The Rochford’s units had been designed to feel like a collection of homes with gardens.

The Rochford apartments won praise for indoor-outdoor kitchens that open onto the oversized and deep square balconies.Credit: Sam Mooy

“The idea was that it was a home they would live in, rather than a rental vehicle,” he said. “We see this as new way of living: we are trying to give the apartments the same attributes as a house.”

The Rochford stood out because its apartments were bigger and used natural materials such as wood, brick and steel designed to last.

In Kaiser’s apartment, bifold doors in the kitchen slide back to turn the kitchen and balcony into a large entertaining area.

And Kaiser’s greatest joy? “No falling damp, no rising damp, no lateral damp, no mould, no crumbling plaster or bricks. It is a seriously comfortable building.”

We asked two leading Sydney architects for their views:

Emily Wombwell, a director of architecture with SJB and a parent of three- and six-year-old girls, tackled questions that she believes home hunters should ask.

• Did the plan separate noisy and quiet parts of the home? This is relevant to people with young children, or shift workers. She wondered: “Could the baby sleep while we had a dinner party? Yes. The apartment plans were well zoned, separating quiet and noisy parts of the home with efficient use of corridors.”

• Can you hang washing out without the entire street seeing it? Like many strata blocks, the rules ban washing from hanging where it can be seen from the street. But Wombwell said because the balconies were large and well proportioned, they functioned as proper outdoor dining rooms, extending the amenity of the apartment interior. Washing was hanging on many balconies, mostly hidden from street view.
• Can I wash my own windows? Many of the windows were accessible. She said this small touch can make apartment life feel more like living in a house.
• Can I open a window on two sides of the building to get good airflow? Wombwell recommended that buyers consider which rooms would get warm in summer, and how easy it would be cool without relying on cross ventilation.
• What will be your exposure to neighbours? Wombwell said it was worth considering the journey from the street to the apartment door and how likely you were to meet your neighbours along the way. “Apartment life should balance privacy of your own home with opportunities for feeling like you are part of your community. Like saying hello to the neighbours on bin night.”

Hayden Co’burn, a director of CPlusC, an architectural practice comprising builders and architects, said he always looked to see how many people were selling. Rochford, he noted, had very few sales.

He found the Master Builders award reassuring. “This award indicates it was built for high quality, something that many tenants would not have noticed directly.

“But if it’s going to be a forever home that’s important. You want to make sure that it’s not going to fall apart and it’s going to age gracefully.

“The connection to the deck is critical in medium-density living. Otherwise you feel like you’re inside a box.”

The Rochford has received the Herald’s first five-star rating in this series of apartment reviews.

It has also been among the hundreds of blocks that have been caught up in the removal of some cladding as part of Project Remediate, which was implemented after changes in the rules following the fire at Grenfell Tower in London.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, said the materials removed were compliant during construction, and the strata had been proactive in addressing the issues. The cost of remediation had been modest.

It included the removal of some western red cedar in the lobby. An expensive imported cladding on some of the exterior, called Fundermax, was also removed. It is still in use in Germany where it is described as highly fire-resistant. The NSW government considered it a risk though its flammability rating is close to zero.

Thackeray and Kaiser say they are comfortable with how the remediation work was managed. Kaiser said the small scale of the work meant they had paid little compared to friends who lived in blocks paying “a squillion million” in levies. “We were happy to pay because we love it here,” she said. “We want it to be resolved. None of us are moving.”

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