5 new Sustainable Apartment Developments in Australia 2019
As the City of Melbourne declares a climate emergency, we are seeing a rise in environmentally conscious and human-centric developments as residents yearn for a sustainable future.
Here are five new developments across Australia implementing water, energy and waste efficiency into their buildings and providing residents with facilities to alleviate our car dependency.
WEST END, WEST MELBOURNE
Located in one of Melbourne’s emerging urban renewal precincts, West End in West Melbourne combines five apartment buildings and one hotel into a community structure separated by vibrant laneways and tree lined pathways.
The urban sanctuary comprises of 377 apartment dwellings, laneways with restaurants, bars, cafes and a supermarket with fresh produce store, day spa, medical centre, 24/7 pharmacy, gym, pools, private cinema, wine storage, public art galleries and public parks.
West End is a leading example of new sustainable projects in Melbourne with each building within the precinct designed specifically with affordability, comfort, community or downsizing in mind.
Carr Design Group, Hecker Guthrie, Mim Design and Six Degrees all collaborate with CHT Architects to create West End with people and the environment in mind.
The open park and laneways lined and landscaped with native trees and shrubs encourage residents to walk and engage with active lifestyles. With 200 bicycle spaces and integrated community spaces, West End demands to reach a 5 star Energy Rating as well as providing residents with the tools to continue their connectivity beyond the complex.
More than 83 per cent of City of Melbourne’s residents live in apartments. Each year apartment living contributes to:
- 22 per cent of the city’s water usage
- Nine per cent of Greenhouse Gas emissions
- More than 20,500 tonnes of waste
QUAY QUARTER TOWER, SYDNEY CBD
3XN along with local partner BVN and Arup bring Quay Quarter Tower to Sydney’s CBD, a mixed use vertical village that rises 200 metres above the iconic Harbour.
The large open space atriums within the tower connecting all stacks to each other provide a sense of community with visual transparency offering social interaction amongst people.
The design of the tower incorporates ⅔ of the existing structure on site. The existing AMP centre was in much need for a revamp so the team at 3XN, BVN and Arup found a solution to incorporate its shell and core into the new tower.
Retaining the old core and recycling the facade and remainder of the floor plates to create 45,000sqm of new floor space will save 10,000 Sydney to Melbourne flights worth of carbon.
As the new building rises, it rotates in five stacks enhancing views and maximising light for all workers and residents within the building and on street level. Rotating the tower has also been beneficial to providing exterior terraces and communal park spaces for visitors, immediately enhancing the quality of interaction city dwellers have with their environment by providing much needed green space.
The tower is targeting 6 Star Energy rating as the facade’s sun shading hoods eliminate the need for blinds and the electricity to run lights during the day time. With residents and workers becoming more environmentally conscious, the tower becomes a highly desired place to work and live.
“We’ve found this green correlation is very popular with the market, leading to higher demand for green buildings, low vacancy rates and better returns,” - Chris Nunn, head of sustainability, AMP Capital Investors.
EAST BRUNSWICK VILLAGE, MELBOURNE
EBV, East Brunswick is a development that has been designed with sustainability, quality of life and environmental consciousness at the forefront. During the first construction phase alone, 15,000 trucks worth of material have been recycled from the site that has helped create rock products, road bases with recycled concrete and recycled bluestone for pavements.
An average of 7.5 Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme NatHERs will be achieved with smart metering, LED lighting and appliances installed with automatic controls, occupancy detectors, daylight sensors and programmable timers. Double glazing and rooftop Solar panels lessens the need for energy usage throughout winter.
Drought tolerant and native plants have been used for landscaping of the project to minimise water usage as there will also be rainwater tanks for flushing, a highly efficient gas centralised hot water system and smart metering so that residents can accurately monitor energy and water consumption. Recycling facilities within the precinct provide healthy waste management and with good access to public transport, residents are encouraged to use the large amount of bike racks, flexi car pods, charging stations for electric vehicles to promote walkable, green neighbourhoods.
As well as rooftop gardens and children's playground, residents will enjoy the apiary, maintained by a qualified bee keeper, providing free local honey.
443 QUEEN STREET, BRISBANE
The 185 metre Architectus and WOHA designed tower gracing the Brisbane river waterfront offers more than just spectacular, uninterrupted views of the iconic city.
443 Queen Street will be Australia’s first building to achieve a Generosity Index of 80 and Green Plot ratio of 197% with naturally light filled foyers, lobbies, and ventilated gardens throughout the tower.
The tower embraces sub-tropical living with overhanging native plants over the podium balconies and a garden environment for each and every apartment. With a structure that resembles a living, breathing organism in a sub-tropical climate, it responds to its natural environment by catching the breeze and shade from the sun with a smart, calculative designed facade.
The 264 high quality residential apartments enjoy natural green ventilation through a carefully thoughtful sealed square floor plan and will achieve a 5 star energy rating when completed in late 2020.
“443 Queen Street is about shading, sheltering, greenery and sustainability - a building that ‘breathes’ with natural ventilation and light” - Adrian Pozzo, CEO Cbus Property.
LT.MILLER, BRUNSWICK EAST
The set of boutique apartments located in Brunswick East, Melbourne, offer a 100% fossil fuel free environment with a 7.5 NatHERs Rating average.
Electricity will be supplied by an embedded network which will use a variety of renewable sources to power all apartments as well as common areas. Lobbies and corridors will be naturally ventilated with plants on every level and a 20,000 litre water tank to collect rainwater to assist in irrigating the natural surrounding landscape.
Designed by Clarke Hopkins Clarke, in collaboration with Breathe Architecture and developed by Lucent Capital and Nightingale Housing, the boutique apartment building has a specific environmental approach within the design, becoming yet another important socially and environmentally conscious complex within Melbourne. With amenities such as a garden rooftop, integration and social interaction between residents is encouraged which greatly impacts positively on the quality of life.
Natural materials will be used between private and common spaces within the complex, with carefully selected recycled timber and floor materials. The 100% natural renewable carpets for residents are made from cactus fibre and is also 100% biodegradable at the end of its life cycle with natural colouring.
These are just a few of the ways that Lt. Miller impacts the neighbourhood and sets a standard in conscious design.
Green Strata is a not-for-profit organisation that helps apartment owners and corporations improve sustainability in their buildings.