VISION Issue 40 | Page 27

27 Business park developments rarely win plaudits for their aesthetics or design credentials, but Nexus Park, in Melbourne’s Mulgrave, is among the exceptions. PROJECT 5 Nexus Court, Mulgrave, Victoria ARCHITECT Katz Architecture PRINCIPLE GLAZING Viridian Evantage ™ Grey Double Glazed Unit Viridian SpectraSeraphic ™ in APO Grey, Deep Ocean, Mistletoe and custom Hot Lips Red TEXT, IMAGES & FILM Peter & Jenny Hyatt A mong its fleet of low-rise, high-achievers, 5 Nexus Court offers intrigue and delight. Two standout features deserve praise – the first is the staggered, abstract façade, the second, an exemplar in how to convert rooftops into works of functional beauty rather than lazy utility. Occupying a tight triangular site, 5 Nexus Court makes much from little, by extracting every ounce from limited opportunities. Its heroic frontage more than compensates for its restricted ‘rear’. Katz Architecture has done some fine juggling to provide a childcare facility not as gesture, but pivotal to project. With upper tenancy levels exceeding maximum lettable area, a recessed lower level articulates and enables the bulk of the building to ‘float’. A top-level roof deck introduces valuable outdoor space, satisfying the requirements of the new Platypus Junction, an early learning centre and kindergarten located on level three of the development. It also provides a unique cap to signify the special social function. Since its opening 5 Nexus Court has become a social hub of the park. Its mixed-use development over 3,500 sq.m. includes two levels of commercial office space, gymnasium, a pre-school centre for 96 children, outdoor rooftop deck play-space, car parking and retail.