As a trusted provider of quality construction for residential and commercial projects, RCQ have earned an outstanding reputation during 30 years in the building business. Working with development partners Stockland and renowned local architects Hollindale Mainwaring, they’ve brought a striking collection of premium townhouses to a desirable coastal community.
Well-known for it’s laidback coastal lifestyle, the Sunshine Coast has waterfront developments and properties in abundance. In designing their Mainwaring collection for Stockland’s master-planned development at Brightwater near Mooloolaba, HMArchitecture sought to blend a dynamic urban style with coastal elements to offer a distinctive streetscape and premium, yet practical living spaces for residents.
With their extensive track record in developments like this, RCQ were a natural choice for the project.
“Medium-sized townhouse developments have become a fairly standard project for us in recent years,” says Gary White, South East Queensland Manager, RCQ. “This type of property is definitely what we’re seeing more of on the Sunshine Coast. The Mainwaring collection of homes meets the demands of buyers seeking high calibre properties in a location with plenty of lifestyle benefits.”
Generous spaces are a common theme throughout the Essen complex of two, three and four-bedroom townhouses. A resort-style shared pool and BBQ area bring an extra touch of community and liveability to the precinct. Each individual dwelling offers a whole range of design features to transform the typical townhouse layout into something more spacious and contemporary. Building with lightweight cladding, rather than brick enabled RCQ to bring more internal space to each of the 44 homes. With timber framing and no need for a cavity, each wall takes up less room.
“Floor plans for the Essen properties average more than 150m2 which is a decent amount of internal space for a townhouse,” says Gary. “Add to this the internal light wells and louvre windows and you get an airy interior that feels really spacious and open. These design features, plus the cantilevered exterior elements, have strong visual appeal but they’re also very practical in offering passive heating and cooling to keep each unit comfortable in our sub-tropical climate.”
These design characteristics presented the project team with plenty of challenges in achieving a flawless finish.“The discontinuous first floor levels, cantilevered sections and box outs make it a very complex project,” says Gary.
“It was a relief to be working with cladding products from James Hardie because they provide the quality and consistency that’s essential for detailed work like this. It’s also a very versatile set of options, with colour changes, and a combination of vertical and horizontal lines which you can use to great effect on articulations like these. Axon™ and Stria™ break up blocks of neutral colour while using Linea™ on the balconies creates a shadow line that really makes them stand out.”
The technical support Gary and his team have come to expect from James Hardie also made it their preferred cladding range for the 100+ homes they’ve worked on across the Brightwater development. “The product sheets and installation guides are very comprehensive and clear, so you can often find what you’re looking for when applying the cladding in a complex way,” says Gary. “But if the reference materials don’t cover it, they’ll deliver expert help on-demand, whether that’s a phone call or a site visit. The quality of the extra information provided by sales and product staff can help with things like reducing wastage or selecting trims to complete a high-quality finish.”