All tagged walkups

Walkups II

Further along Stirling highway, at numbers 72 and 74 are more domestically scaled maisonettes. The seemingly single masisonette has been carefully planned into four separate dwellings to each floor. Without conflicting with the planning restrictions, plot ratios or height restrictions, Krantz had allowed for a higher density of living within the predominate detracted cottage dwelling in the area.

Terrace Road Walkups

The legendary architectural practice of Krantz and Sheldon has more than anyone else in Perth, has pushed the relevance and validity of flats as a modern housing type for urban life. Nearly all of these developments were procured from private interest and funded with syndicates with Krantz and Sheldon being both the client and developer.

 

Krantz and Sheldon’s walk up flats along Terrace Road in Perth bears no exemption here and demonstrate good examples of the walk up flat typology. Challenging the the city’s by-laws at the time, these walkup flats along Terrace Road were developed to the maximized allowable extent. Unlike developers today, Krantz and Sheldon sourced and purchased available land close to the city, found clients that were willing to be onboard in funding their developments by charging them the architectural fees and construction costs. A syndicate of a few people could get together, pool their funds and build something on the recently purchased land. In this regard, Krantz and Sheldon were, by todays standards, all at once the architect, developer, builder and client with the help of the syndicate.  What’s more, their sustained ability to keep a high turnover included Krantz and Sheldon’s interest in investment into their own projects. By taking a couple units themselves to be used for investments for the following development enabled Krantz and Sheldon to continue this methodology.  Not seeing any economical return in developing in the greater suburbs, Krantz and Sheldon’s success during this period were in their interest on the housing demand in the city. The major advantage being that they were able to achieve a higher density of housing units and therefore achieved a higher economical return.

 

Whist these apartments are by todays standards based may be conceived to be small and cheap in their aesthetic appearance, were constructed economically to a sophisticated level of practicality. By working within tight budgets whist focusing on a refined architectural detail to reduce the risk of building maintenance and roof leaks, these walk-ups by Krantz and Sheldon should be still merited for their endurance and sustainability based of evidence of good design in the city.