Wellness Architecture, Communal Living and Biophilia: The Cutting Edge of Urban Design

City living is changing. As our understanding of the relationship between living space and wellbeing shifts, developers are responding with homes that are more than just four walls. New builds like Richmond Square by Fortis are designed to meet the growing demand for more holistic, community-based spaces.

As our neighbourhoods undergo the push and pull of change, we explore four design trends in contemporary city living.

Rustic exteriors and calming interiors

Residential developments are increasingly designed with the past in mind – that is, the history and heritage of the surrounding neighbourhood, or even the building site itself. Evoking the industrial past of a changing suburb, for instance, is part of a broader trend where multiple details of a build might be designed to reflect that context, from the facade to the door handles inside each apartment.

Take a precinct like Richmond Square, which draws its heritage style red brick and green-tiled exterior from Richmond’s former life as a centre of industry, as well as evoking historical neighbourhood fixtures like milk bars, warehouses and tiled shopfronts. The raw textures and palette gives the building a sense of history and place from the outside while, on the inside, calming timber and stone finishes offer respite from the suburb’s vibrant streets.

Wellness architecture

A home, of course, is much more than a space to sleep and eat. It’s where we relax and rejuvenate, and where some of our most important relationships play out; increasingly, it’s also where we work (and work out). Particularly since the pandemic, developers are taking a more holistic approach to new apartment builds, with wellness front of mind. This might mean incorporating spaces geared towards physical health, like yoga and Pilates area or sauna. But we’re also seeing designs that improve mental health and contribute to more well-rounded lifestyles.

These “wellness zones” might emerge as rooftop gardens offering tranquil, leafy escapes, or communal spaces for residents to meet for coffee, book a dinner party or use a shared pizza oven. These wellbeing-focused spaces aren’t just trends either – they’ve become expectations.

Biophilic design

There’s been a lot of research recently into the physical and mental benefits of green space. Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep, strengthen immunity and even boost creativity. Biophilic design is all about using natural elements like parks, rooftop gardens and greenery to mimic the sensory effects of being in nature. Increasingly we’re looking to be transported and, by bringing natural elements into our home environments, we can create a sense of balance between the urban and natural environments, and tap into the benefits.

Communal ground floors

Post-Covid, human connection near to home has become more important to prospective residents than ever. Now, as designers and architects look to enhance living spaces, apartment precincts are being designed to encourage socialising and to foster community, spilling into the streets and laneways around the building.

In new builds like Richmond Square, this trend comes to life in the laneways that integrate the development’s two buildings; the presence of retailers, cafes and restaurants draw in Richmond locals, connecting residents and visitors alike. The idea is that apartment buildings become an active part of the community, just as the high streets and corner stores always have been, adding vitality to neighbourhoods rather than just providing a place to live.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fortis.