This was published 3 years ago
In national first, Perth high-rise radically rethinks contactless delivery
By Emma Young
A high-rise in a rich, rapidly densifying inner-ring Perth suburb is Australia’s first to have a dumbwaiter serve all 22 storeys so residents can get food deliveries without leaving their hallways.
Deliveries come from all around but the building will also open 10 of its own ground-floor bar and restaurants in weeks; meanwhile, the architects who planned the dumbwaiter to “future-proof” their building congratulate themselves as COVID-19 has since proved just how crucial contactless home delivery can be.
The 192-apartment The Precinct. Credit: Norup Wilson
The Precinct Mount Pleasant overlooks Canning Bridge, a transport hub a 10 minute drive or single train stop from the city.
The wealthy riverside suburb is defined mostly by low-rise but the rash of apartment developments speaks to the future, and none more so than this one, whose innovations extend to fingerprint and Bluetooth-operated doors, 5-star Green Star certified solar passive design and fibre backbone cabling ensuring any new service update is simply software and hardware updates.
But the dumbwaiter is the most fun.
It was the idea of Norup Wilson director John Norup, said the company’s client liaison Sam Delaney.
The firm had to contact multiple Australian manufacturers and none had heard of a dumbwaiter being used in anything other than a private home of 2-3 storeys.
Eventually a Perth manufacturer agreed to custom-make one. It looks simple – just a stainless steel shelf in the lobby – but it’s a serious perk.
Food and supermarket delivery drivers pull into a dedicated drop-off bay from Canning Highway, and staff from some local restaurants on the highway are happy to trot over too.
They use an intercom to alert the resident, who lets them into the lobby remotely, and follow the signs to the dumbwaiter.
The hungry resident waits on their own floor beside the lift for their food or groceries – or in the case of those entertaining on the top floor’s Sky Lounge, for their party’s catering.
The future is here. Credit: Norup Wilson
Timing took some tinkering, Mr Delaney said, with the first few to trial the tech getting a sad surprise when the dumbwaiter shot down when they weren’t quite finished grabbing their delivery, but the “bumps and creases” have been ironed out.
“It was a horrible time to finish the building at the end of the 2020 lockdown,” Mr Delaney said.
“But seeing people gravitate towards this service so quickly, and feeling safer because of it, was worth all the trouble.”
The service will get its real workout when the ground floor’s 10 food and beverage outlets open in a piazza-style layout, the first to open in a month and the rest to follow.
This was delayed due to COVID-19, with some tenants being interstate businesses that needed to visit, but the developer can now reveal they will include a wine bar, a tapas bar and a breakfast cafe.
The building also has its own app residents will be able to use to place orders.
“This is one of the most prominent landmarks in the precinct now and we really want to develop the options, because it lacks a bit of diversity,” Mr Delaney said.
“Especially with the other new high-rises, this piazza will be a focal point for people to meet and converse, with 52 visitor car bays on our ground floor.
“Judging by the residents’ reactions so far we have a captive audience above, and with the population of the precinct growing, we think it will be very well received.”
Apartments start at $464,000.