Sydney social housing development wins green design award
The first social housing project in Australia to receive a five-green-star rating for environmental excellence has won Urban Development Institute of Australia New South Wales 2011 Sustainable Development Award at the institute’s annual awards.
The Lilyfield project in Sydney’s inner west has also received international recognition by being shortlisted in the World Architecture Festival awards in Barcelona in November.
Designed by HBO+EMTB for Housing NSW, the 88-unit multi-building complex features classic passive solar design, with all units enjoying north- or east-facing living areas and natural cross-ventilation.
Photovoltaic cells on panels concealed by a raked roofline provide solar hot water and on-site production of electricity.
Rainwater is collected in tanks for use in gardens, laundries and toilets.
“For the project to be successful it was essential to have a client who was fully committed to the underlying sustainability principles and an unwavering support for good design,” the project’s design director, HBO+EMTB director Gustavo Thiermann, says.
The 88 units in the Lilyfield development replaced 40 units in 12 two-storey blocks constructed in the 1950s that had proven costly to maintain and upgrade.
Part of the funding for the Lilyfield project comes from money raised from the sale of 99-year leases on heritage-listed Housing NSW properties at Millers Point.
Some 10% of the apartments are designed to the latest standards of accessibility for disabled occupants.
The development also features space for a community garden for tenants to grow their own vegetables and an informal play area, both of which are wheelchair-accessible.
There are compost bins near the community garden space and bicycle racks for secure bike parking.
The judging panel noted the Lilyfield project successfully addressed the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental, economic and social performance.
