When it came to designing West End, a high-rise development comprised of four apartment buildings and a concept hotel in the heart of West Melbourne, DiCintio turned to suburbs at home as well as thriving overseas metropolises for inspiration.
“It’s predominantly based on the best suburbs in Melbourne to live in, where you have a wide range of demographic profiles,” he explains, citing St Kilda, Richmond, South Yarra and Collingwood as examples. “You can have high net worths, couples with no kids, families, students, the aged, the young. That diversity basically creates vibrancy, which is what we want for West End – a thriving and exciting village atmosphere which will allow residents to both have fun and relax, depending on their mood.”
Other threads of inspiration came from cities such as New York and London, where each neighbourhood has its own unique, village-like flavour.
“New York is one of my most favourite cities in the world. I think Brooklyn has some similar features to West Melbourne in the sense that it’s on the extremity of Manhattan, where all the excitement of the city can be enjoyed without having to live in it all the time,” DiCintio says.
The team at Trenerry had long held a vision of creating an inner city, campus-style development with a varied range of apartments, but finding the right location took longer than expected. When a 9200-square-metre site to the west of the CBD went on the market, DiCintio knew it was exactly the spot they were looking for.
“I think West Melbourne is one of the most underrated suburbs in all of Melbourne, because it’s just got the most beautiful, wide streets,” he says. “They’re basically a function of its industrial past, but now all that industry’s left and you’ve got these amazing streets that are beautifully tree-lined and have the most wonderful village ambience.”
Adding to the community atmosphere – and the delight of animal lovers – is the fact that West End is an entirely pet friendly development with its own dog wash and dog walking services.
While West Melbourne is already home to a diverse community, DiCintio believes the suburb’s weak spot is its lacking amenity, and says West End will improve that. The finished development will include eight restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as a variety of retail, a medical centre, pharmacy and supermarket. The five-star Adina Grand hotel, an ultra-modern urban hotel that incorporates a day spa and wellness centre, will occupy its own building.
As well as having a public park that’s been vested with the Melbourne City Council, West End will boast a residents’ garden roughly the size of 10 tennis courts with pocket gardens contained within it – one called a “reflection garden”, and the other a “contemplation garden”, complete with water features. There’ll also be a 25-metre lap pool, a separate lounge pool and spa, and barbeque facilities.
For West End inhabitants, a fundamental feature of living in the development will be WeLife, the building’s remote keyless entry and security system, accessed via a smartphone app installed on each resident’s phone.
“It’s going to be a very smart building. You’ll be able to enter your lobby with your phone, enter your apartment with the phone, access the car park, you’ll be able to send your code to people to allow them to enter the building, and it also acts as an intercom system as well,” explains DiCintio.
The app will also allow all residents to communicate directly with each other, and book amenities, such as the building’s private cinema, events spaces and barbeque.
“It’s those sort of features that will engender a really great community aspect to the property,” DiCintio says.
Adding to the community atmosphere – and the delight of animal lovers – is the fact that West End is an entirely pet friendly development with its own dog wash and dog walking services.
“All my developments are pet friendly, but this one takes that to the next level,” affirms DiCintio, whose pug will be moving into West End’s Adderley building along with the rest of the family once the build is complete. As any pet owner can attest to, animals bring us together, and this is exactly what DiCintio is banking on for West End.
“I just find that pet friendly developers engender good community and positive vibes in their developments.”
With apartment prices set to range from $450,000 to $6 million, DiCintio believes the residences will attract a wide range of buyers, which will in turn ensure a wide-ranging group of occupants.
“Because of that diversity and the vibrancy that creates, I’m moving my family there. I can live where I like in Melbourne, but I just love this location so much that I’m moving my family there,” he adds.
“And what’s really great is my eldest adult son, who lives in Richmond with his partner and works at Price Waterhouse, has also agreed to move into West End, albeit in a different building. That’s what West End is all about.”
For more information visit www.westend.melbourne or contact Daniel Cashen, 0438 346 313.