Luxury, quality, heritage and community — Aqualand redefines multi-residential living for Sydneysiders
24/07/2024 | Australian Design Review
Established in 2014, the award-winning Australian-owned luxury property, hospitality and investment group Aqualand celebrates 10 years at the forefront of property development. Over the past decade, Aqualand has become synonymous with elevated modern living in Sydney. Every one of its developments is designed by some of Australia’s leading architects, and each apartment is an expression of modern luxury, seamlessly integrated into a vibrant community in one of the world’s most desirable cities.
Pictured: Aura at dusk
Ahead of the curve and setting the standard for exceptional luxury living
From the very beginning, Aqualand set out to redefine the experience of multi-residential living. Over the past decade, it has developed and built some of Sydney’s most desirable apartments in the city’s most coveted locations, including The REVY at Darling Island and BLUE at Lavender Bay.
Completed in 2020, The REVY is an award-winning apartment complex which sets a new benchmark for luxury living through its harmonious integration of history and modern amenity. Designed by PTW Architects, The REVY transforms what was once the first Royal Naval Victualling Yard in the southern hemisphere into 44 architecturally designed apartments across eight levels.
Pictured: Stylish curves at The REVY at Darling Island
Pictured: Luxurious walk-in dressing room at The REVY at Darling Island
BLUE at Lavender Bay was completed the following year, in 2021. Also designed by PTW Architects, BLUE at Lavender Bay perfectly showcases how an adaptive reuse development can transform an empty and outdated office tower into contemporary luxury apartments, whilst improving the streetscape with retail offerings and providing benefits to the local community. Each designer residence is finished with superior natural stone and custom joinery presenting a sense of warmth, space and serenity further enhanced by stunning views of Sydney Harbour.
Pictured: BLUE at Lavender Bay
Pictured: Stunning views at BLUE at Lavender Bay
AURA by Aqualand — redefining modern life with resort-inspired amenities
Completed in June 2024, AURA by Aqualand has been meticulously designed by multi-award-winning architecture practice Woods Bagot, with Richards Stanisich at the helm of the penthouses. With these two titans of Australian architecture and design crafting the lived experience, it is fair to say that no detail has been overlooked.
Pictured: North Sydney at dusk, with AURA rising above
Pictured: AURA, with views across the city to the Sydney Opera House
Rising 29 levels on North Sydney’s Walker Street — a prime location close to vibrant shopping, cultural and transport hubs — AURA commands stunning views of Sydney Harbour from almost all of its 386 luxury residences. Combined with a richly landscaped community precinct, plus a curated food and beverage podium with four world-class hospitality venues, everything you could wish for and need to live a life of refinement and ease has been thoughtfully considered and seamlessly integrated into the fabric of AURA.
Pictured: The three bedroom winter garden at AURA
Additional resort-style facilities include a wellness centre with a gym equipped with world-leading fitness technology brand TechnoGym, pool and spa. A glamorous rooftop area offers a sky sun deck, private dining spaces, barbecue and kitchen space for year-round alfresco entertaining and a cinema room. As if all this wasn’t already the height of luxury, AURA offers residents tailored specialised concierge services, a pool of Tesla share vehicles to hire and premium bespoke lifestyle management are available onsite to assist residents with their lifestyle needs.
Pictured: Elegant design and meticulous finishes. Photography by Sebastian Mrugals.
Pictured: The living space at AURA. Photography by Sebastian Mrugals.
An exceptional lifestyle requires exceptional design
The prime location and world-class amenities and services available are not the only things that elevate AURA’s position as one of the most desirable and exciting new mixed-use residential complexes on the market. In fact, for architecture and design aficionados, it is the design itself that makes AURA so special.
Pictured: The curved undulating lines of Aura’s towers
When developing the concept for AURA, Woods Bagot’s Principal Architect, Jason Fraser, sought inspiration from the eroded sandstone forms of Sydney Harbour’s edge and the ever-changing play of light on the water. The result is a gracefully undulating organic-shaped facade, which creates the illusion of a single structure that is in fact divided into four separate towers. Staggered peaks step down from level 29 to 23, with a ‘cinching in at the waist’ effect at level nine, where the residents’ community centre is located, giving the structure a distinctive hourglass shape.
Pictured: The illusion of a single structure
Luxury and quality that stand the test of time have been considered not just in the architectural design of the building as a whole, but in every individual residence. The standard size for AURA’s two-bedroom apartments measures 95 square metres, plus a wintergarden, making them well over 100 sqm in total. This makes them at least 20 sqm larger than standard two-bedroom apartments in the area, far exceeding minimum requirements.
Pictured: The generously proportioned living space in Aura’s two-bedroom residence
The generous spatial proportions of the apartments allows the interior design to strike the perfect balance of pared-back elegance and rich materiality and texture. Natural timber and sophisticated stone finishes create the perfect backdrop for living, while flexible floorplans create a balance between working and living at home, with some apartments featuring a multi-functional room that can become an office, guest bedroom or second living space, depending on the residents’ needs.
Pictured: Breathtaking views from the dining room of AURA’s three-bedroom residence
AURA caters to every aspect of modern living. From the exceptional high-end design of the apartments themselves through to the world-class amenities, vibrant community and the best of Sydney’s culinary culture right on your doorstep. With the new Victoria Cross Metros station right next to AURA, plus plenty of easily accessible road, rail and bus routes, it truly is possible to live better.