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Capturing the coastal essence The Courier Mail | 6 June 2009
REDCLIFFE'S strong sense of community, its casual coastal holiday nature and its spirit were some of the elements that gave architect Andrew O'Connell his inspiration when designing Kyko Group's latest development, Mon Komo.
Mr O'Connell is one of the principals of Sydney based Altis Architecture, which he established in 1991 with Rolfe Latimer. Despite being based south of the border, the company is responsible for designing many developments in the Sunshine State, and Mon Komo is the latest. Mr O'Connell said the initial vision for Mon Komo came from the client who wanted him to encapsulate their ideas and to enhance them. "Our vision is drawn from the location, the immediate site as well as its broader context," he said.
"I think that buyers will find the design unique. It is sophisticated yet relaxed." Drawing on the essence of a luxury Carribean resort, Mr O'Connell said the design draws from the coastal feel of its surrounds, which is reflected in its architecture and ambience.
"This informed the casual, relaxed nature of the spaces created which provide for an escapist experience and allow for a desirable lifestyle," Mr O'Connell said. "Buyers or 'people' as we like to call them, should fed comfortable with the spaces and environments created as we always put people's experience of their environment at the top of our design concerns."
Mr O'Connell says he enjoys the challenge of designing properties at the water's edge. "These locations demand that you deal with the landscape and setting, immediately giving the design relevance and providing for wonderful opportunities," he said. "The landscape provides the contest and in dealing with the landscape, how the building sits on the earth and how it touches the sky, how its materials relate to those found around it, an architect can find endless inspiration and challenges which all result in a better and in a relevant design."
A beach house on the New South Wales coast was Mr O'Connell's first project with Altis Architecture. He has come a long way since then, but his love of the water remains and his favourite project is the boutique luxury hotel, Seafaris. Seafaris is actually a super yacht that opera res off the Great Barrier Reef and Mr O'Connell said they were fortunate to have a client who strove for excellence and understood the value of good design. "We achieved wonderful integration of the exterior styling and the interior detail and this is what holds Seafaris apart from other yachts of its type," he said. "It was also liberating to work with the freedom of not having to comply to building codes, answer to planner council."
Despite working on many projects by the water, Mr O'Connell's inspirations vary and are quite diverse which means each project is unique. Mon Komo is a development Mr O'Connell thinks will be very successful and he said it provides a unique integrated lifestyle. "People will find that Mon Komo has a sense of place and that the spaces created are welcoming and comfortable people spaces," he said.
Those who want a tast of what to expect of Mon Komo can have a glimpse of Mr O'Connell's vision at the full sized display apartment that has been custom built as part of the sales site, opposite the construction site. Featuring two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study area and full size balcony, the fully furnished apartment represents the opulence of what Mon Komo represents.
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