Architects Design Residential Haven Inspired By Princess Leias Gold Bikini

May 5, 2015

Name: Luna Apartments in St Kilda

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Date: 2014

Architect: Elenberg Fraser

GKD Metal Fabric: ALU 6010

In the heart of St Kilda, a suburb of the southern Australian city of Melbourne, one can find one of the region’s most impressive buildings in the form of the mysterious and appealing Luna Apartments. For the building’s extravagantly formed shell, the architects chose bronze-colored anodized GKD. Inspired by Princess Leia’s infamous gold bikini the architects of Elenberg Fraser state, “While Luna’s curvaceous form echoes the draping lines of Leia’s usual white robes, the shimmering gold glass and metal mesh materials are matched perfectly with the colours and textures of the gold brassiere.”

The architects, Elenberg Fraser, have made a name for themselves in the Australian architectural scene. The work of the architectural duo does not comply with rules, symmetries or conventions; instead they focus on environmentally friendly design that recreates nature. Once again, the architects have set new standards with their brilliant design for the Luna Apartments in St Kilda. The five-story apartment block with restaurants, shops and 72 apartments reflects the positive mood in the city. With around 7,000 square meters of floor space, the building is marked out by its extravagant design. Like a bronze arrow, the complex blends in perfectly with its surroundings. The building is lent its sense of almost floating lightness by the rounded point supported by just one pillar on the ground floor. A key characteristic of the Luna Apartments is the bronze skin wrapped around the building like a veil. Privacy and solar protection elements made of bronze-colored anodized aluminum mesh underline the impression given by building’s clear lines. An almost magical effect is created through the meshes’ interaction with light. The glass behind the mesh also shimmers in bronze.

A variability of intimacy and openness is made possible by moveable privacy and solar protection elements as well as special lighting technology. If the resident uses the lighting inside the room, the apartment is visible from outside. If, however, they use the exterior lighting, which illuminates the room just as brightly through the fully glazed, reflective front, passers-by see nothing more than a shining bronze facade while the resident, protected from prying eyes, can observe the street below.

The glossy sun protection facade made of ALU 6010 bronze-colored aluminum mesh from GKD supports this effect. The panels were anodized in an immersion process. 289 solar protection elements with different widths – some fixed, some manually foldable – give the building its striking appearance. In total, around 600 square meters of mesh seamlessly encase the building, providing a pleasant environment for residents and visitors and ensuring energy efficiency through selective and targeted shading while at the same time offering a high level of transparency. With an average of around nine hours of sunshine per day in January, the rooms would heat up very quickly in the southern Australian summer. However, the semi-transparent metallic mesh skin provides reliable protection from direct sunlight while allowing daylight to stream unhindered into the building. As such, costs for the energy consumption of air conditioning units and additional lighting are drastically reduced. The edges of all mesh panels were folded around the frame, thus creating a seamless, bronze veil that unites fantasy and reality.

Photography by Peter Clarke Photography