Melbourne developer Piccolo is hoping to recreate the success of its 2011 Carlton apartment project Garden House by teaming up again with two of Australia’s most awarded architectural design practices, Woods Bagot and Hecker Guthrie, to redevelop a former RSL Club site in Elwood.

The Garden House project won six major property and design awards, and will be used as a template for 31 boutique apartments over four levels at Elwood House. Piccolo director Michael Piccolo said he had wanted to replicate the success of Garden House elsewhere for a while, but logistics had proved difficult when the project’s architect and Woods Bagot Design Director Nik Karalis moved overseas. In 2013, Piccolo purchased the
former Elwood RSL Club site at 2 Pine Avenue, a site he had his eye on for years when living just around the corner. Then Karalis returned to Australia, and Piccolo said "the pieces of the puzzle fell into place."

The apartments are aimed at downsizers and affluent young purchasers. They all feature expansive terraces. One bedrooms average 50 to 80 square metres, while two bedrooms are 100 to 115 square metres and three bedrooms at 130 to 170 square metres. Elwood House is scheduled for construction commencement in June 2015 and completion by end 2016. Karalis said every component of the architecture, interior design and outdoor balcony living has been considered for the occupants’ maximum benefit.

“Elwood House has been a labour of love in order to improve on what we produced with Garden House,” says Piccolo.