The Avenue is a 117-apartment retirement village set in the heart of Maroochydore, delivered in two stages. A variety of different apartment types allow residents to age-in-place, with opportunities provided for higher care. The development is located in a relatively low-rise suburban setting and addresses three street frontages. Our client, Aura Holdings, aspired for the scheme to resonate with the relaxed lifestyle of the Sunshine Coast, and to contribute high-quality internal and external communal spaces to improve residents' quality of life. The design provides for street facing residences while also creating a secure, landscaped central courtyard, conceived as the hub for community interaction. A full suite of ground floor community facilities adjoin this central landscape, enlivening its use at all times of the day. An axis aligning the eastern and western entries traverses the courtyard. At each entry, a full-height void between buildings marks the entry within the street frontage, allowing glimpses into the courtyard landscaping beyond. Vertical circulation nodes are centred at these entries. A recreation area, market garden and pool are positioned on the north frontage, where the residences are stepped back from the street. Apartments are situated to either face the street or the courtyard, activating and overlooking both spaces. Covered external accessways between buildings take advantage of the Sunshine Coast’s enviable climate and evoke the laid-back culture of the place. Landscaping in the courtyard is lush and sub-tropical, with considered placement of trellis wires allowing climbing planting to soften the built-form. Deep planting zones pass through the basement carparking level at the site perimeter and key locations within the courtyard to allow more significant trees to be planted. The buildings are heavily articulated to break down their scale and massing, reducing visual impact on neighbours and the streetscape. This articulation creates a strong vertical rhythm to the street, with the building appearing as a series of stacked vertical strips, variously receding and protruding. Patterned breezeblock screens add texture, further breaking down the scale of the building, and reference the Sunshine Coast’s sub-tropical modern architectural heritage. The scheme sits well within its coastal setting, creating a set of beautiful private and communal spaces for residents to form community and age-in-place.