Region: Sydney, Australia

The $180-million Balfour Place development, Third.i’s project in Sydney leafy Upper North Shore, has topped out.

The Lindfield project will eventually deliver a mixed-use precinct spanning a 7000sq m site that was formerly a Coles supermarket.

Lead by high-profile developer Third.i with joint-venture partner Phoenix Property Investors (PPI), the shoptop mixed-use project’s structural works are now done.

Work on the block at Balfour Street got under way in March of last year and is due to complete in early 2025. Conquest is the builder.

Balfour Place will comprise 59 apartments designed by Rothelowman in a mix of one, two, three and four bedrooms, on top of 4500sq m of retail and hospitality spaces, including a Coles supermarket.

The project launched to the market in April, 2022, selling out within a matter of weeks.

Third.i co-founder Luke Berry said they had “tailored Balfour Place to meet the evolving needs of the market, particularly focusing on providing larger living spaces that are ideal for residents”.

The Coles at Balfour Place will be double the size of the prior store and will include a Liqourland and heritage commercial space fronting the Pacific Highway.

More than 230 carparking spaces will span across two levels.

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Lindfield’s latest luxury-meets-village destination, the $180 million Balfour Place, has officially topped out, marking a significant milestone in its development. The highly anticipated project, developed by leading Australian developer Third.i in conjunction with joint venture partner Phoenix Property Investors (PPI), has completed its structural works. Due to complete in early 2025, industry leading building, Conquest, has been appointed to bring Balfour Place to life.

Nestled within Lindfield’s leafy heart on Balfour Street, Balfour Place will comprise 59 best-in-class apartments designed by Rothelowman, situated on top of 4,500 sqm of vibrant retail and hospitality spaces, including a brand-new Coles supermarket.

The project launched to the market in April 2022, selling out within a matter of weeks. First-home buyers and young families are among those set to call Balfour Place home, with a collection of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments with private courtyards.

“We are thrilled to announce the topping out of Balfour Place, a landmark moment for Third.i, PPI, and the Lindfield community,” said Luke Berry, Co-Founder of Third.i.

“Despite challenging market conditions, this project stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering homes that buyers can be proud of.

“Balfour Place is set to become a bustling community and lifestyle hub, embodying the essence of luxury and village charm that Lindfield is known for.

“We have meticulously tailored Balfour Place to meet the evolving needs of the market, particularly focusing on providing larger living spaces that are ideal for residents.

“Our goal has always been to create homes that offer both comfort and functionality, ensuring that our buyers can thrive in a vibrant and well-connected community.

“We can’t wait to see the project complete early next year.”

“Phoenix Property Investors is proud to collaborate on a project that exceeds the expectations of today’s buyers,” said Trent Winduss, Partner and Head of Australia at Phoenix Property Investors.

“This development highlights our shared vision of creating exceptional living environments that blend modern luxury with community-centric design.

“We look forward to the completion of Balfour Place and are confident it will set a new standard for quality living in Lindfield.”

The Coles at Balfour Place will be double the size of the prior store and will include a Liquorland and heritage commercial space fronting the Pacific Highway. Over 230 car parking spaces will also be available spanning across two levels, adding another layer of convenience to both residents and the local community.

Balfour Place, situated amidst Lindfield’s beautiful greenery, embodies its neighbourhood charm with a mix of warm brick, stone, and unique bronze metalwork. Residents can enjoy desirable indoor-outdoor living spaces, rooftop landscapes, and a refined sanctuary, all situated within the convenience of Sydney’s vibrant city living.

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Balfour Place, a luxury apartment project in Lindfield, NSW developed by Third.i in conjunction with joint venture partner Phoenix Property Investors (PPI), has officially topped out with the completion of all structural works.

Designed by Rothelowman, Balfour Place is situated on Balfour Street amidst Lindfield’s beautiful leafy setting, with the development offering residents the promise of luxury living combined with the charm of village life.

Built by Conquest, the project comprises a collection of 59 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with private courtyards on top of 4,500sqm of vibrant retail and hospitality spaces, including a brand-new Coles supermarket.

Launched to the market in April 2022, the project sold out in a matter of weeks to mostly first home buyers and young families.

“We are thrilled to announce the topping out of Balfour Place, a landmark moment for Third.i, PPI and the Lindfield community,” said Luke Berry, co-founder of Third.i.

“We have meticulously tailored Balfour Place to meet the evolving needs of the market, particularly focusing on providing larger living spaces that are ideal for residents. Our goal has always been to create homes that offer both comfort and functionality, ensuring that our buyers can thrive in a vibrant and well-connected community. We can’t wait to see the project complete early next year,” he added.

Trent Winduss, partner and head of Australia at PPI, said, “Phoenix Property Investors is proud to collaborate on a project that exceeds the expectations of

today’s buyers. This development highlights our shared vision of creating exceptional living environments that blend modern luxury with community-centric design. We look forward to the completion of Balfour Place and are confident it will set a new standard for quality living in Lindfield.”

The Coles at Balfour Place will be double the size of the previous store and will include a Liqourland and heritage commercial space fronting the Pacific Highway. Over 230 car parking spaces will also be available spanning across two levels, adding another layer of convenience to both residents and the local community.

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Dilcara has worked with Third.i for several years, previously building their headquarters in North Sydney.

Third.i Group has appointed iCIRT-rated builder Dilcara as the builder for its boutique Potts Point apartment development, Muse.

The decision follows Dilcara’s track record as a renowned builder with expertise in delivering luxury projects across Australia.

Adam Marshall, Head of Development at Third.i, expressed excitement about the collaboration, highlighting Dilcara’s reputation as a trusted builder and long-standing relationship with Third.i.

“Dilcara will be coming into an established consultant group of leading designers like WMK and Mathieson,” Marshall said.

Dilcara has worked with Third.i for several years, previously building their headquarters in North Sydney.

“We have been working alongside Third.i since we first started our business. There’s been a really long relationship,” Dilcara Managing Director Antonie Gittany said.

Muse in Potts Point is Third.i’s debut project in the affluent harbourside suburb. It comprises just 13 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments on Brougham Street near Woolloomooloo. 

Designed by WMK Architecture, the project aims to reflect the architectural and natural heritage of one of Sydney‘s oldest neighbourhoods.

A communal rooftop with a residents-only pool and expansive scenery will top off the project.

“Now Dilcara have joined the team, we’re just a few weeks away from starting demolition on site,” Marshall added.

Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of 2025.

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Third.i has confirmed that Dilcara has won the construction tender to build its Potts Point project, Muse, designed by WMK Architecture and Mathieson Architects.

The 13-residence development will enhance the relationship between builder and developer, who have created a portfolio spanning 15 years. The project is characterised by wide flowing terraces that capture views of the harbour and city, while a communal rooftop boasts a pool and expansive scenery.

Third.i Co-Founder Luke Berry says he is delighted to have Dilcara on hand to deliver its next premium project.

“Dilcara and Third.i are perfectly aligned due to our shared commitment to excellence and long standing relationship. Our buyers can have confidence that their investment will be delivered to the highest of standards, reflecting the luxury and sophistication that is synonymous with our vision,” he says.

“Muse Potts Point will encapsulate the essence of the neighbourhood and blend seamlessly into the local area. Our first project in Potts Point will offer buyers a vibrant lifestyle and luxury inner-city living opportunity and we look forward to bringing this vision to fruition with the experts at Dilcara.”

Dilcara Managing Director Antoine Gittany shares Berry’s sentiments.

“We are excited to be once again working with Third.i to bring forth an iconic project in the heart of Potts Point. We are committed to developing a project that complements the vibrant character of the suburb and contributes to the flourishing community of Potts Point,” he says.

Potts Point is a lure for prospective buyers due to its heritage streetscape and access to lifestyle amenities. The building’s facade will also reflect the architectural and natural heritage of the site. Muse sits in close proximity to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Modern Art Gallery and hospitality and retail precincts.

Construction is due to commence in April this year, with completion scheduled to wrap up at the end of 2025.

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Projects making the most of infill housing reforms were lodged within days of the NSW Government introducing them in December last year.

The reforms, the latest in a series of attempts to encourage more affordable housing that offer a bonus of up to 30 per cent, are a “genuine and tangible outcome that has the ability to change feasibility,” Ethos Urban director of planning and residential sector lead Clare Swan says.

“We had projects lodged within days of the Housing SEPP changes and other clients looking to revisit their DA approval for the 30 per cent affordable housing bonus,” she says.

“Some are under construction and looking to pivot, seeking the additional height and density from providing a more significant proportion of affordable housing in their project.”

The reforms include a height bonus (applicable to residential apartments and shoptop housing only) and a floor space ratio (FSR) bonus of 20 to 30 per cent for projects that include at least 10 to 15 per cent of gross floor area (GFA) as affordable housing.

Deicorp have already taken advantage, adding 60 apartments and five storeys to its Five Ways Crows Nest project.

The industry reacts

Swan says it was high time the changes were implemented.

“For a long time the industry has been ready to respond to real incentives whether to provide affordable housing or other public benefits,” she says.

“Given the pressing issue of the NSW housing crisis, there was much promise and optimism surrounding the reforms as they signalled a bold agenda to deliver more housing.

“The industry is now in the position of road-testing these provisions in their feasibilities and also seeking to understand how the changes will work in practice.”

However, the changes did not address all the complexities of preparing an application.

“This includes the interaction between conflicting provisions in a DCP and the application of the Affordable Housing Bonuses,” Swan says.

“For instance, there’s a desire for clarity on how the affordable housing bonus will operate independently as an incentive, particularly regarding height and floor space allowances.”

Recent advice from the Department of Planning suggested that a Clause 4.6 report may be required, adding an additional layer of complexity and cost, she says.

North Sydney-based developer Fiducia focuses on boutique residential apartments, but has invrested in affordable and accessible apartments.

“In some ways it barely scratches the surface,” Fiducia development director Marie Doyle says.

“There is a missing connection between what’s being created and actually getting that to the people that need it.

“We also have to ask, is this actually going to make a project feasible? Is an increase of density going to allow developers to make significant gains and are they really contributing significantly to the pool of affordable housing?”

“I’m not sure they address all the needs of what those reforms are aiming for.”

Head of acquisitions for Third.i Group Florian Caillon says the developer is moving into the affordable housing space, including 15 per cent affordable housing for its Crows Nest Metro Station project.

“I give them a lot of credit for what they’re trying to do but it still needs a little work around the economics,” he says.

“It’s great that you can get more height and FSR but costs increase at the same time. It can be hard to make that model stack up in Sydney metro areas.”

Bridging the gaps

Doyle says that there needs to be a more “joined up” approach, not just with affordability but will all controls placed on developments.

“When we’re building a luxury apartment building, the council requires that we have all of these adaptability, affordability and accessibility controls and measures.

“There’s a lot of people in need of those types of apartments and they are not getting marketed to or simply can’t afford to be in that apartment.

“Certainly in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, anything on the Lower North Shore, every one of those buildings has accessible and adaptable apartments but I can only name one that has had a person who needs those accessible and adaptable elements move in.”

But despite these reforms, we need more systemic change to enable the provision of housing of all types, Caillon says.

Ethos Urban planning director Andrew Duggan agrees that assessment times are a major issue.

“I started in planning more than 25 years ago and back then, a four-month assessment period was seen as a long and drawn-out process,” he says.

“Today, I regularly tell clients to expect DA assessment times of 12 to 18 months. Some of these factors are not all in the control of the NSW Government, however the proliferation of referrals and panels has definitely slowed up the system.”

Despite the potential challenges, these reforms indicate something wider, Swan says.

“Without such initiatives, it’s unlikely that progress would occur, leaving affordable housing strategies to the discretion of individual councils,” she says.

“We need the NSW Government to expedite the process of planning, a development application app based on merit that supports density and doesn’t overshadow or affect heritage or parks, one that has an urban design outcome that benefits the community at large.

“The State Government needs to get involved earlier and push that through.”

Authorities across the board have proposed or implemented welcome reforms such as allowing affordable housing providers to go through an alternate design excellent process, pattern books, medium and low rise housing and build-to-rent changes in the Housing SEPP build-to-rent changes, she says.

“Additionally, the State Government commitment to bold planning reform is crucial, particularly in the face of potential opposition from councils.

“Past experiences have shown that initiatives can be watered down or exemptions granted, undermining the effectiveness of reforms.

“However, with the housing crisis pressing, it’s essential to stick to a comprehensive plan and ensure its implementation at both state and local levels.

“While not every aspect may be perfect, the cost of inaction is too high.”

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The penthouse at Sydney’s new Kurraba Residences is furnished throughout with pieces from Liaigre, the ultimate French interior design brand.

If you’ve ever wondered what $1 million of new furniture looks like, I’ve got one word for you: Kurraba. The penthouse atop the red brick apartment development on the north Sydney promontory of the same name is decked out with sofas, tables, desks, beds, lamps, ottomans, guerdons and so forth, all ordered from chic French furniture brand Liaigre. And totalling a cool mill, according to the interior architects.

“We’ve worked with the brand for some years now on our projects, and it seemed most appropriate for the Kurraba Residences [penthouse] to completely kit it out in Liaigre” says Phillip Mathieson, founder and director of Mathieson Architects, which designed the interiors of all 24 apartments – including what he terms the “super-penthouse” since it occupies 430 square metres over two top floors and gives onto 216m2 of private garden and a swimming pool.

The four-bedroom, four-ensuite home, which includes a gym, steam room, wine cellar, butler’s pantry, several living rooms and studies, and dress circle views onto the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, is also adorned with dozens of art works by the likes of Bronwyn Oliver, Brett Whitely and Marion Borgelt. (Leased from Artbank, these and other prestige pieces can also be made available to the buyers of the property.)

The idea is to really show the potential lifestyle available to the eventual owner”, says Mathieson. “It’s a supreme turnkey proposition”

But how to prevent an enormous penthouse fitted out in one brand, no matter how posh, from feeling like a showroom?

“We strived to ensure that each room feels unique, that they are experienced in different ways” says Mathieson. “We’ve done that by not picking the obvious things to sit side-by-side, by introducing unexpected fabrics in the draperies and upholstery. A lot of effort was made to ensure that despite being the ultimate French interior design brand, we adapted the pieces to the local context”

Cristophe Caillaud, chief executive and president of Liaigre, agrees. “If we, the French headquarters, had simply provided furniture and fittings, we’d probably have misjudged local factors like air quality and light. Sydney’s sunlight is so spectacularly different to that of Paris”

Indeed, those rich silk rugs – in an oyster shell shade, say, or dreamy deep aubergine – seem to glimmer in the afternoon spring sunlight on the day I visit.

The curved glass floor-to-ceiling walls are slid wide open, the breeze ripples across ultra-fine linen drapery, a ferry casts gentle waves of foam in its wake as it beetles over to Neutral Bay, just below.

I’m strolling through rooms arrayed in a scalloped formation, which architect Adam Haddow of SJB, who designed the apartment building, will later tell me are intended to riff off the irregular topography of Kurraba Point. The fluted bricks, he points out, are standard-issue but laid in such a way as to absorb rather than deflect light” as the sun shifts across the south-facing, citadel-like building throughout the day.

It’s all been finely calculated to give a sense of ease, uncontrived elegance.

Meanwhile, I’m doing the mental arithmetic.

There’s a customised 12-seat Liaigre ‘Malte’ oak dining table, say $50,000. Hand stitched leather ‘Archipel’ dining chairs, around $2000 a piece. A quick Google search turns up a low-lying ‘Augustin’ sofa for €16,000 ($28,100) – which doesn’t factor in the sumptuously thick linen upholstery deployed in the Kurraba fitout. All the furniture – crafted predominately from oak, bronze and leather – is hand-made in France (except the rugs, which are hand-loomed and knotted in Nepal.)

Yes, I can see how this much stuff in this many rooms would definitely add up.

But what happens if the buyer decides they don’t like bulk Liaigre?

“I don’t reckon that’s a deal-breaker,” laughs Mathieson. “But if they don’t we might just see a fair bit of collectable Liaigre kit turn up on the secondary market.”

If that happens, I’ll be in line for one of the Christian Liaigre’s iconic Nagato side table/stool/plinth things – slabs of solid oak sculpted into a Brancusi-like monolith, usually with a natural rift that splits the timber with chic nonchalance. Created by Liaigre the year after he opened his Left Bank studio in 1985, the Nagato would become emblematic of his minimalist aesthetic, which marked 1990s interiors the world over. They retain their integrity today.

Christian Liaigre was born at the height of World War II in La Rochelle, on the Atlantic coast of France. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts and the École national supérieure des arts décoratifs, both in Paris, eventually meeting Alberto Giacometti, who in turn introduced him to Constantin Brâncusí. The latter is widely considered the granddaddy of modernist sculpture.

Liaigre’s eponymous Paris studio was influenced by the totemic approach of both artists, and he started out designing cabinetry with a decidedly sculptural allure. He made waves with his interiors for the 1920s Hotel Montalembert (just off Boulevard Saint-Germain) and these rippled around the world as his influence grew. He designed the minimalist Mercer Hotel in New York in 1998, which was soon followed by private residences for the likes of Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld and Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich.

Hotelier Ian Schrager – the brains behind the Royalton New York, the Delano in Miami and the Mondrian in West Hollywood – commissioned Liaigre to design the interiors of his own Downtown Manhattan apartment, and reckoned it was “the most sophisticated thing I have ever done”.

“His furniture was so refined, so beautiful and so well-made,” said Schrager, upon hearing of Liaigre’s death on September 2, 2020.

“Christian was extremely demanding [and] incredibly precise in the outcomes he was seeking, whether that was in a single chair or in the architecture of a whole room” recalled Caillaud, who joined the company from Jean Paul Gaultier in 2009.

Creative direction is now overseen by Frauke Meyer, who for many years worked alongside Christian Liaigre.

“My role is to guarantee the longevity of the brand we now call simply, Liaigre,” Caillaud says. “And to see our aesthetic laid out with such refinement and finesse in a setting so far from our native Paris, seemed like a dream”

Dreams do, it seems, come true.

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