An Easy Sell For Amanda

Once the nerve centre of Fremantle’s wool industry, this landmark heritage warehouse provides a blank commercial canvas and opportunity to create the next chapter of history.

Redeveloped by M/Group as Heirloom by Match in 2016, the former Dalgety Wool Store has been transformed into a New York-style industrial warehouse with 183 completed residential apartments and a dual-use commercial space, which has been listed for sale at $1.6 million.

The commercial site, which has been pitched as a café, restaurant or wine bar, offers 260sqm on the ground, with a soaring six metre ceiling height creating potential for additional floor space with a creative mezzanine or extra floor.

The building was originally part of a group of wool stores.

Largely unused for two decades, the Dalgety Wool Store has stood as a significant icon in the port city’s streetscape for almost 100 years.

It was originally part of a group of wool stores that occupied the entire street block and is now the only remaining one adjacent Fremantle Harbour.

Monumental in scale and form, the property was built in 1923 to cater for WA’s burgeoning wool industry from the end of World War I until the late 20th century, and was commandeered by the US Navy 7th Fleet as part of the combined allied World War II effort.

M/Group director Lloyd Clark said the $130 million Heirloom redevelopment had leveraged the existing structure to create a unique warehouse conversion.

Mr Clark said while the listing at 184/51 Beach Street had been positioned as a commercial enterprise, the dual zoning also fostered the prospect of a residential conversion.

“This particular listing…has created interest around the endless possibilities for a custom fit-out whilst designed around the exposed feature heritage red-brick, the 100-year-old jarrah columns and the exposed timber ceiling,” Mr Clark said.

“The space boasting 100 years of genuine Fremantle history lends itself to use as a café, restaurant, gallery, wine-bar or even a funky office. As the space is a shell, a complete custom fit out is available for the buyer.”

Mr Clark said the redevelopment paid homage to the building’s history.

“It was a goal to retain as many of the heritage elements as possible throughout the building and this was achieved by keeping or re-using over 85% of the original heritage fabric,” he said.

“New York-style conversions have become popular in recent years especially when considering living and/or working in a genuine warehouse environment, a limited prospect in Australia when compared to overseas.

“Developers had previously been hesitant to touch historic fabric due to the risks and unforeseen costs compared to the low cost, high profit ‘cookie-cutter’ buildings that were materialising across the city.”

Design experts say heritage renewals have long been popular for businesses and commercial enterprises, but required an astute architect with foresight and respect for the history of the property.

Nedlands architect Suzanne Hunt said there was a sense of romanticism associated with refurbishing historical buildings, despite the obvious constraints of working within heritage protections.

“There’s a romance about it,” Ms Hunt said. “People just love heritage buildings.”

“If you go into a heritage building that has been refurbished well by an architect, you have this wonderful feeling of history. There is this wonderful layering of history, the old and the new, and I think that gives a lot of opportunities for different types of design that has more of a depth of design in it.”

“Heritage buildings give character and it doesn’t matter what purpose or business you’re putting in there, you’ve got this wonderful sense that the building is old, it has its own history and you’re just making more history.”

Ms Hunt said refurbishing heritage buildings was possible while remaining cognisant of the heritage listing and ensuring respect for the old fabric.

“If you’re putting a refurb or buying a heritage building, there’s a fallacy that you can’t do anything. That’s actually not true,” she said.

“Good heritage design is saying we’re going to respect the old building and we’re going to put something contemporary…If you understand the history of the building, you can reinterpret that history in a contemporary way through your design.”

By Nicole Cox, realcommercial.com.au, 3 June 2021

Boutique apartment company, Match, was honoured to take home its third Heritage Award for its work in transforming Fremantle’s iconic Dalgety Wool Stores into unique residential industrial warehouse apartments.

WA Apartment Advocacy hosted the 2021 WINconnect Apartment Awards for Excellence over the weekend celebrating those who have played an instrumental role in introducing Perth to the idea of design and amenity-led urban living through apartment development.

Heirloom by Match is one of the largest heritage renewals in the State, and award judges acknowledged “…Match demonstrated fearlessness and innovation in transforming this heritage building into an exemplar of what the City of Fremantle can expect from future developments of a similar ilk.”

The site had sat largely unused for 20 years prior to completion in 2016 and now with all apartments occupied the judges said the project is “…a charming apartment community that pays tribute to its heritage roots.”

Managing Director of parent company M/Group, Mr Lloyd Clark said the awards are a great honour to be recognised and acknowledged by the industry and peers.

“Drawing on our experience with heritage renewals, we knew from the outset that this project would present challenges, however we also saw it as an extremely important opportunity.

“Match is in the business of developing signature properties. It is our firm belief that people want more from their homes, and today Heirloom residents are creating their own space amidst 100 year old Jarrah beams and original heritage features,” he said.

Heirloom by Match was designed by Dominic Snellgrove of Cameron Chisholm Nicol and constructed by national top tier construction company, Built. The development team worked in collaboration with the City of Fremantle, State Government and heritage authorities to achieve a positive outcome.

“Heirloom is unquestionably one of Match’s most significant development projects in the company’s 20 year history. Its location close to Fremantle’s café strip and between the river and the beach is ideal, and it has helped to activate the City of Fremantle and its growth” Mr Clark continued.

“The renewal process was sensitive in nature and proved extremely complex.  However, the recognition and accolades we have received are both humbling and extremely rewarding.”

Match had previously been awarded the Heritage Council’s ‘Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place’, and the prestigious Gerry Gauntlett Award; recognising an outstanding achievement of adaptive reuse in Western Australia for the Heirloom Apartments in 2017. Match was also recognised with the Gerry Gauntlett Award prior to this in 2008 for its highly acclaimed Home warehouse apartments located in Perth CBD and is responsible for other heritage-listed projects such as Maymont in Maylands and Clocktower in Inglewood, which effectively injected new life into the area, as well as a range of cutting-edge design-inspired apartment properties throughout Perth.

For more information visit www.heirloombymatch.com.au or contact 0432 660 066

Perth landlords are being encouraged to leverage current market conditions that are allowing for significant increases in their rental returns, in order to create new pricing benchmarks for when the Covid-19 restrictions are scheduled to end in March 2021.

The property managers behind one of Perth’s largest apartment rental portfolios, M/Property, said that current market conditions are optimal for landlord-led negotiations, with the industry forecasting a possible 20% increase across the rental market.

They believe that while tenancy and rental freezes as a result of Covid-19 have helped to push occupancy rates to an all-time high, the impact is likely to be ongoing as the market opens up.

Kiarna Blythman from M/Property says the industry has not seen this level of activity in 14 years and believes the environment has given investors a chance to review and reset rental prices after a long period of stability.

“Instead of negotiating rents down, applicants are now offering up to $50 a week more than the asking price to secure the property they want,” she said.

“We currently have just one apartment available and eight coming onto the market with a waiting list on our database. This is in vast contrast to our typical pipeline of 20 to 30 apartments and has given us the opportunity to negotiate a new level of revenue for our owners to lock in fresh agreements that benefit the landlord.”

Based on REIWA data, the average apartment rental rates have leaped from $335 to $355 per week since the June 2020 quarter, with limited stock and increasing population effectively putting more pressure on the market.

“We are very aware that some landlords have been disadvantaged by the Covid-19 policies and have been unable to evict tenants or review rents. However, as the deadline for restrictions will soon be lifted, now is the time for landlords to take action,” Kiarna continued.

“If property owners are successful in increasing weekly rent prices in a time of extraordinary demand, there is a strong possibility their actions will help to adjust pricing benchmarks for the long term. The accelerated pace and total sum of these price shifts may be difficult to achieve when the market opens up again.”

M/Property specialises in the marketing and management of residential apartment leases and currently has a combined experience of some 50 years.

For more information visit mproperty.com.au

Known for its large stately homes and idyllic river-side setting, Como is undeniably one of Perth’s most enviable addresses and, over many years, has proved itself as a perfect environment for hundreds of families. However, as children grow up and leave the nest, residents have invariably been forced to look outside the suburb boundaries to accommodate downsizing.

M/26 by Match is a boutique apartment complex located in the heart of Como. It is designed specifically for people who are well-accustomed to quality living and partial to staying in an area that has served them well for decades.

Mr Lloyd Clark, Managing Director of Match parent company M/Group, said the company’s market-led design process identified a fairly significant gap in the Como marketplace. He believes the M/26 by Match apartment complex has delivered a highly sophisticated and inviting environment that is perfect for people wanting to downsize.

“We couldn’t imagine living in a suburb for most of our lives only to find it had very few home options for when it became time to downsize. The challenge for us, of course, was to create an environment that could make the transition from large home living to an apartment as simple and stress-free as possible,” Mr Clark said.

“You only have to visit the M/26 by Match display apartment to experience a standard of luxury that is unique, not merely to Como, but across Perth.”

M/26 by Match comprises just 40 stylish and well-considered apartments, most with exquisite views of the Swan River and Perth City.

It is located within a tree-lined street just minutes’ walk from the popular café strip and famous art deco Grand Cygnet Cinemas, as well as a short stroll to the Swan River and easy access to the Freeway and CBD.

“Each luxury apartment has been designed to exude elegance and sophistication, with an importance placed on space, light and airflow. Attention to detail has been paramount, as our intention was to create an atmosphere that melded into the Como environment,” Mr Clark continued.

“And while the apartments have been designed for a downsizer market, there are many other market groups, such as young professionals, who are attracted to these qualities and the proximity to Perth’s CBD.”

Internally, there are two colour schemes available; light and airy Hamptons-style and bold and moody Manhattan. All finishes are of a high quality with floorplans that allow each apartment to open up and make the most of the stunning location with full-height glazing.

“The apartments and their location have already proved to be extremely popular with residents. This has been particularly beneficial for those who opted to use their apartment as an investment. Renters just love the space and many opportunities have been snapped up after the first opening,” he said.

“As a design-focused apartment developer, it is truly a pleasure to offer such an acutely niche and beautiful property to the market. We welcome all our new residents and wish them the very best in their next stage of life.”

M/26 by Match includes one and two-bedroom apartments with large balconies, high ceilings and stunning sunscreens. The building has created a distinctive addition to Mary Street, Como, with the installation of a stunning artwork sculpture by Ayad Alqaragholli at its entry.

For more information contact www.m26apartments.com or call 0432 660 066.

As the dust settles on this year’s coveted Master Builders Western Australia Excellence in Construction Awards, M/Construction is making more room on the shelf for its third victory in the same amount of years.

This year, our dynamic building company took home the award for ‘Best Multi-Unit Development between $5-10m’ for its work on the sophisticated and understated M/28 by Match in South Fremantle.

Designed by David Barr from David Barr Architects alongside Cameron Chisholm Nicol Architects and developed by Match, this latest award puts a spotlight on the attention to detail that M/Construction is increasingly being recognised for.

It also provides even greater assurance for those seeking to engage M/Construction in private building contracts, or those looking to buy an associated Match apartment ‘off-the-plan’.

Lloyd Clark, Managing Director of parent company M/Group, has reflected on the significance of a third win in three years, particularly in light of the highly competitive construction environment.

“To receive the assurance of a high-quality builder is arguably the most important factor when making building decisions or buying an ‘off-the-plan’ apartment,” he said.

“M/Construction has consistently delivered not just high-quality work, but a standard of construction that has attracted the attention and kudos of the industry at large.

“This latest award is a testament to the unique systems and processes the company has in place. We are extremely proud of M/Construction’s ongoing achievements and what it means for its internal and external clients.”

Director of M/Construction, Michael Read, is thrilled by the acknowledgement and recognition from industry peers.

“Being able to repeatedly impress the judges over consecutive years says that the result is not by chance,” Michael said.

“We have an incredible team behind each project, backed by processes that ensure that nothing is overlooked.

“We truly believe we have introduced a new standard of building methodology to the landscape, and it is so great to be recognised for it.

In 2019, M/Construction won the Best Multi-Unit Development between $10-20m for Form by Match, Port Coogee and in 2018, the company took home the award for Best Multi-Unit Development between $10-20m for M/24 by Match, Leederville.

M/Construction is currently working on the construction of M/27 by Match in Parry Street, Fremantle and is available for discussions regarding independent opportunities.

There was a period in Perth where development and redevelopment were so fast paced that many valuable heritage properties were left so decrepit that they would ultimately be sanctioned for demolition.

Developers were hesitant to touch historic fabric due to the risks and unforeseen costs compared to the low cost, high profit ‘cookie-cutter’ buildings that were materialising across the City.

Match was born in the thick of this era. We were young and passionate about saving Perth streetscapes from bland, investor-driven apartment buildings. We wanted to build a legacy of design-centric projects that would bring interest and diversity to the landscape.

Adopting heritage rejuvenations into our portfolio was a natural fit and relatively easy to acquire based on the lack of industry interest.

Match became a trailblazer for heritage renewal projects in Perth and our work in this area today extends to property designs that pay homage to the site’s former use or the significance of the location, such as M/24 by Match in Leederville, Metropolitan in Mount Lawley, Sublime in North Fremantle and Johnson & James in Guildford.

A brief overview of Match’s heritage projects:

HOME
Corner of Milligan & Murray Streets, Perth

HOME still stands as one of Perth’s most impressive heritage renewals and a turning point that triggered many more heritage restoration projects throughout WA.

The 1927 warehouse building was introduced by the tobacco giant, W.D. & H.O. Wills and originally designed by local architects Oldham, Boas & Ednie-Brown; a firm reputed for over specifying to achieve design quality. It was constructed with reinforced concrete behind a beautiful facade, it is an excellent example of ‘Interwar Chicago-esque’ architecture featuring decorative mushroom columns unique to the era.

Match transformed this landmark site into 30 warehouse apartments, 37 adjoining terrace apartments and boutique commercial space, retaining some 95% of original heritage fabric, including a unique structural system that introduced the first mushroom headed slab on large diameter concrete columns constructed in Perth.

THE CLOCKTOWER
919 Beaufort Street, Inglewood

The Clocktower was originally built in 1936 in an architectural style known as ‘Inter-War Art Deco’. It was later used as the Civic Theatre Restaurant before being left largely unoccupied for many years.

The highly sensitive heritage rejuvenation project effectively transformed a local landmark into a boutique complex incorporating 28 apartments and four retail shops.

Specialist work was also required to locate a clock expert with the correct credentials to resurrect the signature clock, which was restarted in February 2008

MAYMONT
Corner of Whatley Crescent and Eighth Avenue, Maylands

Maymont represents a major milestone for Maylands on a site that had been left decrepit for some time. The vision was to create a heart for the area and drive the inner-city culture to the area’s main strip, with architecture reminiscent of its hey-day in the 1920s. While much of the building’s structure could not be preserved due to many years of neglect, Match restored the heritage façades and introduced 42 apartments and 16 commercial spaces. The restoration program would be the start of the beautification process for Maylands, creating what is a today a hub of cafes, restaurants and bars.

HEIRLOOM
36 Queen Victoria Street, Fremantle

Unquestionably one of Perth’s most significant heritage renewal projects in modern times, Heirloom is the award-winning heritage restoration of Fremantle’s iconic old Dalgety Woolstores, which sat largely unused for some 20 years.

The prominent structure located on Fremantle Harbour created a high-profile gateway to the City along Queen Victoria Street. It holds an important place in the City’s history and is most famous for its saw-tooth roof, classic red brickwork and 100-year old Jarrah beams.

The $130 million redevelopment leveraged the existing structure to create 183 spacious one and two-bedroom warehouse apartments, retaining over 85% of the original heritage fabric.

What were the key factors that drew you to these properties?

As a boutique apartment developer, Match works on the premise that the long-term investment value of a property is determined by its uniqueness and limited supply.

The simple fact is that you cannot manufacture heritage fabric and people will pay a premium for being able to acquire something distinctive and irreplaceable.

Location is, of course, always a factor, and when combined with a depth of character and history, we strongly believe these projects are worth the investment.

There was some time that developers wouldn’t go near heritage buildings because of all of the conditions surrounding it – what changed and did this influence your appetite for heritage?  

In a development era that could be easily defined by its lack of sensitivity to good design and the legacy this would have on Perth’s streetscapes, there was certainly a case for ‘testing the water’.

It was new territory for most developers and, as a young company on a mission to disrupt the status quo, we took on highly ambitious heritage projects and were able to demonstrate both demand and return on investment.

Our success was supported by global shifts towards apartment living and a number of high-profile warehouse renewals around the world. Buyers were starting to view apartments as a lifestyle choice and developers needed to meet this market with unique and appealing propositions.

As a developer, what are the benefits and what are the challenges of developing heritage properties?

It is truly humbling and often breathtaking to see heritage fabric restored and repurposed for 21^st century use.

The architectural values and depth of character inherent in these properties are timeless and, quite frankly, magnificent. Many discoveries can be made throughout the construction process that can add to the building’s story, such as an original wool-bale hoist and a railway track uncovered in the basement of Heirloom.

However, any adaptation of a retained building needs to satisfy current codes, modern facilities and environmental standards. This sometimes presents challenges for our architects to accommodate such requirements without compromising the usability, functionality, originality or attractiveness of the property.

At the Home building, our architects needed to work around enormous mushroom headed columns, and Heirloom, where services were ultimately hidden in a false flooring structure so that the Jarrah roofing and original beams could be exposed.

Are heritage projects more attractive for buyers?

Our experience is that the market is attracted to high quality, unique and boutique product which is much more enduring than that of high density, standardised developments.

Well executed heritage renewals elicit an emotional response and sense of connection that is so important in property sales. We find that people are really excited about owning an apartment that has heritage features that cannot be duplicated.

This was evidenced in the early release of Heirloom ‘off-the-plan’ apartments, which exceeded rigorous sales targets with over 70% of apartments selling prior to the commencement of construction.

There will always be a market that values heritage product over anything else.