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This is independent editorial content written by a PropertyMash Journalist. While we try to ensure all information is as accurate as possible, please double check with the developer or real estate agent directly before making a purchasing decision. The information contained within this article may be incorrect or out of date.
Black Fold is an apartment project from Melbourne based company BPM, who have recently made an entrance into the Brisbane with projects such as Black Fold, Onyx, White Dawn, Highline and Night Edge.
The first thing you’ll notice about this project is the design of the building. It’s a stark black and white facade that is very minimal. It’s very clear that this is a product of a Melbourne company as this is a common design approach being adopted in Melbourne at the moment. It makes sense for them to build a project like this in West End, which is about as close to Melbourne as you’ll get in Brisbane with its traditionally grungy and eclectic vibe that has recently gotten a bit of shine added to it thanks to rapid gentrification. This design will also fit in niceley with the two other BPM buildings in the same street – Highline and the recently completed Onyx.
Black Fold has just 40 x one and two bedroom apartments on offer. The majority (28) are two bedroom, two bathroom apartments. There are 2 x two bedroom, one bathroom apartments and 10 x one bedroom apartments.
Living area render. Supplied by developer.
All apartments on the ground floor have large courtyard areas of around 32m² to 52m².
Whilst these courtyards are excellent and relatively uncommon in being so large, in generate the apartments are quite small internally. Particularly the two bedroom, two bathroom apartments which are between 64m² and 70m². The one bedroom apartments are all around 50². Balconies range from just 9m² to 11m². By Brisbane standards these are quite small apartments. Although given that West End is essentially becoming an extension of Brisbane’s CBD, it is possible that this is the new normal in the area.
There is a small rooftop deck at Black Fold. Supplied by developer.
In terms of car parking, the majority of apartments at Black Fold have just a single car park allocated to them. However, there are 2 x one bedroom apartments that have no car park allocation. It is also important to note that on street parking is extremely limited around West End, so if you have a car you will need a car park within the building. Given this projects central location, it is unlikely that many buyers will have a great need for their car on a day to day basis, however this is definitely something to keep in mind.
As these are small apartments, the layouts are quite limited and tight. The majority of the kitchens are galley-style kitchens and the apartments are generally long rectangles with bedrooms accessed from the living area. In the one bedroom apartments, there is a study nook that is located right next to the kitchen.
Have a look at some of the floorplans in the gallery below.
Location:
Black Fold is located at 27 Bank Street in West End. This is a great central location that is close to many cafes, shops and restaurants. Not so great perhaps, it is also directly opposite a Kennard’s Storage Facility. People can have mixed feeling being close to a commerical building such as this. It will be vacant and unused during the weekend and evening which is mostly a plus, but often is not so attractive to look at.
Next door there is a recently completed apartment building called Onyx which was also developed by BPM. Onyx is about the same size as Black Fold and a great reference for buyers to see the build quality and style that they will get with Black Fold.
Onyx is next door to Black Fold. Photo taken by Property Mash 27/10/2016.
West End has a reputation for being home to artists and creatives and a vibrant multi-cultural community, so it has a very different feel to any other suburb in Brisbane. In the past some what have called it grungy, certainly eclectic and has always had a great village like vibe. In the last few years however there has been massive redevelopment in many parts of West End which has brought a new demographic to the area. Although the suburb still retains its bohemian heritage, there are a lot more $5 coffees and boutique breweries than there were in the past.
Botanica is one of many great cafe’s just 500m from Black Fold. Photo taken by Property Mash 27/10/2016.
The suburb is also one of Brisbane’s fastest growing suburbs in terms of population. Over the past five years, an extra 1,300 people are estimated to have moved there – equating to a 15% increase. Over the next 20 years it is predicted that West End’s population will increase at 5.2% each year, which is double the pace of wider Brisbane. So, for people who are purchasing in the area, it is good to keep in mind that this will become one of Brisbane’s most metropolitan suburbs. The area is going to see many high density developments come over the next 20 years and with that, there will be new businesses, shops and all of the other things that come with city life.
Black Fold is about 700m from the Brisbane River. West End has extensive bike and walking paths along the river. Photo taken by Property Mash 27/10/2016.
Black Fold’s location at Bank Street is particularly close to transport, restaurants, cafes and education.
The Boundary Street precinct is one of Brisbane’s busiest restaurant/shop/bar/cafe areas. It is just 500m away from Black Fold, meaning residents can walk there in a few minutes. Here, you will find places like Rumpus Room, Archive Bar, Brisbane Brewing, Grill’d and Little Greek Taverna among many others. This is a great strip at any time of the day.
Travelling by bus is easy in West End. Photo taken by Property Mash 27/10/2016.
Public transport from West End is easy, particularly into the city. There is a bus stop less than one minutes walk from Black Fold that has regular services into the city that take around 10 minutes. Cycling is an increasingly popular option in West End due to the dedicated bike paths along the river and the dedicated bike and pedestrian bridge into the city. The closest train station is just over 1km away at South Bank.
Plenty is a cafe on nearby Montague Road. Photo taken by Property Mash 27/10/2016.
500m in the other direction is another great little entertainment spot on Montague Rd, Davies Park. Davies Park is home to the West End Markets which are on every Saturday and are renowned for their good produce and big crowds. Montague Road also has lots of shops and cafes.
The Davies Park Market is one of Brisbane’s treasures. Photo taken by Property Mash 27/10/2016.
West End is a small inner city suburb that is located 1km south of the CBD, on the other side of the Brisbane River. It is bordered by Highgate Hill and South Brisbane. The median apartment price in West End is $563,000, a figure that has softened by 2% over the past 12 months. The median rental value is $495 per week.
Quality and Finishes:
One area that these apartments really excel in is their internal design and the quality of the finishes and fittings.
This is what buyers can expect from the interiors at Black Fold. Supplied by developer.
The design of these apartments is the work of Hecker Guthrie who are long-time collaborators with BPM. They truly do nice interiors and Black Fold is no different. It has clean lines and minimal, sleek design. It’s a look that many new projects in Brisbane are now starting to emulate, but Black Fold does it so well. There is timber flooring throughout the kitchen and living area, coupled with dark porcelain bench tops and black taps. It definitely is a pretty cool look.
Bathroom render. Supplied by developer.
Each apartments will have a Smeg oven, cook top and rangehood. The dishwasher is Fisher & Paykel.
Black tap fittings are a nice touch. Supplied by developer.
The ceiling heights in the main areas is 2.7m which are higher than normal is great to see. Given that these apartments are smaller than average, a high ceiling will create a greater sense of space within the apartments.
The majority of apartments in this project are two bedroom apartments. For these configurations, it is expected that they will rent for between $480 and $580 per week. Body corporate rates are between $3,000 and $3,500 each year at Black Fold.
There are many other projects in the local West End area that are currently on the market. Highline is particularly similar to Black Fold. This project is also on Bank Street and is from the same developer as Black Fold. Bohemia is also on this street. These two projects are probably the key ones in West End that are in a similar price range with similar product type and we would recommend checking all three out before you buy.
Highline is another project from BPM that is 200m from Black Fold.
BPM is a very well known developer from Melbourne with many years experience. They have recently made an entrance into the Brisbane market with several major projects including Black Fold, Night Edge, White Dawn, Highline and Escent.
Hutchinson’s is building this project. They are a top tier builder and are one of the largest in Australia.
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