Hillcrest Village’s rejuvenation has been designed to complement the unique existing characters of Hillcrest House and of Stanwell Park township. The style of the new Village buildings is inspired by the Northern Illawarra’s nineteenth- and twentieth-century architectural history. Their lightweight expression is consistent with that of the local miners’ cottages and coastal timber-clad homes, which were characteristically built on piers to touch the earth lightly without dominating the ground or landscape. The proposal for the Village respectfully acknowledges Stanwell Park’s informal and relaxed beach-side atmosphere, and will also protect and enhance the site’s heritage items and many significant trees.
The development has been strongly driven by the pre-existing topography, landscape, streetscape and environmental conditions. The dwellings’ internal layouts and their locations within the Village have been designed to maximise cross-ventilation, solar access, private open space and coastal views. Over 40% of the buildings are single-storey. The two-storey multi-dwelling buildings have been designed to take advantage of the falls across the site, providing every resident with direct access to terra firma from the storey of their own dwelling. More than 50% of the Village’s dwellings comply with the requirements of the current Australian Standard for Adaptable Housing, and a continuous accessible path of travel links each of these dwellings with the pedestrian entries on Railway Crescent.