Neutral Bay Apartments judged Australia's finest

For the third time in the past five years an apartment development on the Lower North Shore has been judged to be the finest in Australia. Even more meritorious is the fact that all three triumphs have been created by the locally owned and operated development company, HELM.

Muse, in Rangers Road Neutral Bay, is the 2020 winner of the UDIA Award for Excellence in the category of medium density developments.

This latest honour follows HELM's earlier projects, Esque in Glover Street, Mosman, and Laurier in Parraween Street, Cremorne, which were judged the nation's finest developments in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

Comprising 23 apartments and six retail suites, Muse drew glowing praise from the UDIA judges. Liquid curves, ethereal shapes, an elegant sculptural form and recessed elements are the visual hallmarks of this project. But at this boutique­-sized development beauty is more than skin deep, with a stunning exterior balanced perfectly by the premium nature of life within.

The judges were highly impressed with all aspects of Muse, making it a "clear winner."

"The project delivered an exemplar outcome in terms of community engagement, architecture and urban planning," the judges said. "The landscaping included a central atrium that not only provided green space and cross-flow ventilation to all apartments, it delivered natural light to all of the lobbies. The interiors and apartment layouts were flawless."

Muse, Neutral Bay

"A benchmark for all other developers to follow"

"The end outcome resulted in HELM delivering a superb result to their target market and all purchasers in the project."

In closing their critique on Muse, the judges noted: "this building should be a benchmark for all other developers to follow."

HELM is one of those rare developers that shoulders a great responsibility to provide a lasting legacy through architecturally-appropriate buildings that are designed according to good solar management principles, are cross-ventilated and are energy and water efficient.

From inception through to completion, HELM is in control of every aspect of its projects, including site acquisition, concept design, design development, authority approvals, construction, marketing and handover. Because of this, HELM is able to maintain high standards and be assured of a quality finish.

Industry recognition is the 'icing on the cake' for HELM, which over the past eight years has received three times as many awards as any other medium density developer in Australia.

HELM wins UDIA best medium-density development

"Awards are certainly gratifying, but our greatest reward comes from satisfied owners," said Mark Monk, CEO of the privately-owned HELM, which is headquartered at Northbridge.

"Our passion is creating high quality apartment homes of which we can be proud and striving to lift design standards with everything we embark upon.

Laurier, Cremorne

"We deliberately steer away from large projects, operating on the dictum that 'less is more'. We concentrate on boutique­-size developments where we can control every process, meet our exacting standards and incorporate environmental principles. At the end of the day this approach is not only good for the occupants, it also provides a superior urban outcome which is good for the community and enhances the value of the neighbourhood."