The site of this small apartment building was originally occupied by the Golden West Aerated Water Company. The idea of fizzy drinks inspired the bubbly façade.
The building is in the inner-Perth suburb of Leederville. It is part of a new masterplan for Leederville, designed to attract higher-density living and to promote top-quality residential design. The suburb has a young social scene of bars and cafés, plus an interesting mix of established restaurants, supermarkets, playgrounds and small open spaces.
M24 has 39 apartments over three storeys with a commercial level on the ground floor. The apartments are configured to maximise direct daylight and air into bedrooms. All the living spaces connect directly to balconies and daylight. The balconies themselves are external rooms with space for outdoor furniture and planting.
The bubbles represent a Voronoi diagram: a network of cells that occurs naturally in many plants and animals. ARM has used the Voronoi in several other projects including the Melbourne Recital Centre and Wintergarden. They symbolise the active nature of life and living, which seems appropriate for apartments.
Golden West’s original clay bottles, some a century old, are now rare collectors’ items.