Malvern Collective by Kokoda Property Group

We responded to the challenge of transforming a fragmented, underperforming gateway site into a cohesive, highly liveable urban destination. The brief required a premium residential outcome while retaining and celebrating significant heritage fabric, including the former Angel Tavern and historic shopfronts. The site’s prominence, irregular geometry, transport adjacency and heritage overlay demanded a design approach that balanced density with contextual sensitivity. The project also needed to overcome the perception of this end of Glenferrie Road as disconnected and under-activated, creating a development that would not only meet the expectations of luxury apartment buyers, but deliver broader benefits to the precinct.

The solution is a layered mixed-use precinct integrating two residential towers with restored heritage buildings, activated ground-floor uses and connection to Malvern Station.Rather than imposing a singular architectural gesture, a moment in the design process was the decision to break the built form into two towers that respond to the surrounding scale, rhythm and materiality.Throughout the design journey, heritage became an asset, not a limitation, helping shape the precinct’s identity and public character. The inclusion of retail, hospitality and lifestyle, alongside premium amenities above, enabled the project to resolve private and public needs in one coherent architectural response.

Commercially, Malvern Collective contributes to the revitalisation of the local precinct by drawing people to this end of Glenferrie Road through new retail, dining and hospitality offerings, thereby increasing visitation and extending dwell time, and supporting ongoing economic activity within the surrounding neighbourhood. Socially, it has transformed a neglected gateway into a vibrant, connected destination that enhances daily life for residents and the wider Malvern community. The project’s adaptive reuse of heritage buildings preserves local identity while supporting renewed public engagement with the precinct. Environmentally, its transit-oriented location encourages reduced car dependence and greater use of public transport.

Malvern Collective is distinguished by its combination of heritage restoration, contemporary residential architecture and precinct-making urban design. A defining feature is the integration of restored heritage elements, including the former Angel Tavern, now The Angel of Malvern, and Station Place shopfronts, with two refined residential towers that establish a new landmark without overpowering the surrounding streetscape. The project’s “zero-minute” proposition is another key feature. Located directly beside Malvern Station, the development offers seamless access to transport, dining, wellness and retail, redefining convenience as a core component of residential design. This high level of connectivity is reinforced by new pedestrian links and an activated ground plane that reconnects the site to Glenferrie Road and the broader activity centre. Resident amenity is also central to the project’s appeal, with hospitality-inspired spaces including concierge, wellness facilities, lounges, entertaining areas and rooftop recreation designed to elevate everyday life. At a precinct level, curated retail and hospitality uses create a destination that extends beyond the building itself. Together, these features make Malvern Collective more than a residential development. It is a layered urban environment that demonstrates how architecture, heritage and lifestyle can be brought together to create a commercially successful and socially meaningful place.