Description

Local: Box Hill takes the art of living seriously, treating renting as a long-term choice in the middle of one of Melbourne's most connected suburban hubs. Box Hill has its own density, its own commercial gravity and its own culture. This building was designed around that.

Nine Australian artists were commissioned around the theme of "Story" to create site-specific works through lobbies, communal spaces and dining areas, reflecting Box Hill's histories and communities. Art is part of how residents move, meet and live here, not a lobby afterthought.

A Level 1 internal bridge connects residents directly to childcare, medical services, pharmacy, banking, fresh food and late-trading dining: a vertical neighbourhood built for people who plan to stay.

What's On

Join Loren Thanyakittikul (Local: Residential, Head of Design), Bec McHenry (Studio Perspective) and a representative from Fender Katsalidis for a panel on designing suburban density for a centre—what the art of living looks like when housing, culture and services are planned together.

The talk will be followed by a guided tour through resident apartments and shared spaces, with site-specific works by nine commissioned Australian artists including Hannah Lange, BK Ku, Katrina McKeon, Meagan Streader, Gauri Torgalkar, Emma X Zhang and Simon Beuve.

In Collaboration With:

• 

  Loren Thanyakittikul, Head of Design, Local: Residential

  Loren leads design across Local: Residential's build-to-rent portfolio, shaping how each building works for the people who live in it. She spent over a decade designing award-winning BtR in London before bringing that experience to Australia. At Box Hill, that thinking shows up in the detail: amenity, interiors and shared spaces designed around the specific community the building serves, from the Mahjong and hotpot rooms to the resident lounges. For Loren, the art of living is what happens when a building is designed for everyday life, not just move-in day.

• 

  Bec McHenry, Placemaking Partner, Studio Perspective

  Bec works at the intersection of placemaking, strategy and culture, helping property and infrastructure projects become genuine places rather than just developments. She advised on Box Hill's art strategy, connecting the commissioned program to the suburb's communities and histories. Hosting today's panel, she brings a placemaker's question to the conversation: what turns a building into somewhere people actually belong?

• 

  Nicky Drobis, Partner and Head of Design, Fender Katsalidis

  Nicky is a partner at Fender Katsalidis, the architecture practice behind some of Melbourne's most recognisable buildings, including Australia 108 and Seafarers. A strong advocate for design that strengthens public life and human connection, she leads projects that test how dense, vertical living can work for both people and the city. As project architect for Box Hill, her work asks how a tower can hold a real neighbourhood inside it, and what good living looks like at that scale.