mountains and gardens

Forbes Residences takes WOHA's discourse on residential high-rise living to Perth's Applecross suburb.

- Text by Luo Jingmei Photography by Sayher Heffernan and Dion Robeson

The streets of Applecross in Perth, Western Australia, are lined with Jacaranda trees. This picturesque waterfront suburb is in the affluent Kintail Quarter Precinct where riverside parks, landscaped gardens and recreational facilities are in abundance. How then should one go about inserting a high-rise condominium into this fabric that elevates rather than subtract its desirable qualities?

Singapore-based architecture firm WOHA, founded by Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, has plentiful experience in this discourse. Its series of tropical high-rise residences across several Southeast Asian cities comprises edifices that ‘breathe’ through porous architecture, as well as enliven the city skyline with gardens and greenery located on higher levels rather than just on the ground.

The firm’s design of Forbes Residences brings the discussion to Applecross. The AUD$90 million (S$$76 million), 13-storey building with interiors by MJA Studio was developed by Australia’s Mustera Property Group. Aside from private residences, it also houses 23 shortstay apartments under Manaa Living - a brand of Manaa Properties founded by Mabel Lim, a scion of Singapore-founded furniture retail company Lim's Legacy. There is also a sentimental value to the project, as it is Hassell's first creation in his home city of Perth.