A row of metal-clad townhouse volumes steps along a landscaped edge, sitting above a textured brick podium that conceals basement parking. Vertical fins and chimney-like skylights articulate each dwelling, with Canberra’s Telstra Tower visible in the distance and the historic Brickworks chimney rising in the foreground.
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Yarralumla Brickworks Townhouses

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory In Progress

A collection of luxury townhouses reflecting rich heritage.

As part of a new development to bring Canberra’s Yarralumla Brickworks back to life, we designed 22 premium townhouses that echo the site’s traditional materials and textures, yet maintain a contemporary, individual identity. Disused for decades, the historic site once produced the red bricks that built the city’s first homes and Parliament House. Channelling Canberra’s ‘garden city’ principles, where biodiverse green spaces never feel too far away, each townhouse has an open yet private feel.

Brick by brick.

The metal roof and solid brick base of the Brickworks’ kilns inspired our designs. The townhouses appear like metal-clad elements above a heavy brick podium, hiding the basement car park. We chose tried and tested materials over anything trendy to reflect the Brickworks’ timelessness. A textured, crafted brickwork pattern contemporises the designs.

We want owners to be able to point their home out from a distance. Chimney-style skylights reference the Brickworks, but also allow sunlight to stream into each home in a different way. Inside, the main joinery as a single timber block takes its cues from the traditional brick moulds that once made bricks on site.

A closer view of the façade reveals dark metal cladding with deep-set openings and operable vertical screens. A crafted brick boundary wall with varied patterning defines the street edge, while large windows expose glimpses of the living spaces.

Stay in character.

To make the dwellings feel more like houses than apartments, we created defined kitchen, living and dining spaces inside the homes. Canberra’s interesting mid-century architecture inspired our choice of interiors, which focus on the craft of simple elements. A hidden pantry, private car park access, and the outdoor area’s retractable awning add a further sense of luxury, as does the generous outdoor space for each townhouse, with spacious front and rear terraces.

An interior view shows a warm, open-plan kitchen and dining space organised around a central timber joinery block. Vertical timber battens wrap the volume, concealing storage and a hidden pantry, while a stone island bench and pendant lighting define the kitchen zone.
A private rear terrace is framed by brick and timber fencing, with a retractable awning extending over an outdoor dining area. Vertical metal fins above provide screening to upper-level balconies, while planting softens the edges of the courtyard and firepit seating area.