Mirvac deliver hybrid community in lower North Shore with NINE by Mirvac
ASX-listed Mirvac are taking to creating a hybrid community to form part of the group’s broader sustainability vision, as a way in which residential products can positively contribute to environmental concerns related to the built environment.
Stuart Penklis, Head of Residential, said within the property industry, Mirvac has the ability and a responsibility to influence change.
“In 2014, Mirvac made an industry-leading commitment to achieve net positive carbon emissions by 2030 as part of its ‘This Changes Everything’ strategy. The plan was revised in 2019 to define how the targets will be achieved, including maximising energy efficiencies and the inclusion of solar energy in all residential builds,” he said.
“Last year, Mirvac became the first Australian property company to achieve net positive in scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions, nine years ahead of our target and we continue to move steadily towards creating all-electric homes throughout our portfolio of future builds having piloted developments in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth which will be all-electric as well to give customers solutions to power their all-electric homes with renewable electricity.”
The group has created a hybrid community on Sydney’s north shore, describing the project as a place “where residents can adopt electric living at their own pace.”
NINE by Mirvac, at the site of the former home of Channel 9 in Willoughby, has been built with the future in mind, allowing for residents to ‘opt in’ to an electric lifestyle including induction cooking and EV charging.
“The decision to create a hybrid model gave consumers the opportunity to opt in to electric living at their own pace, in line with consumer trends like those seen in the uptake of electric vehicles,” Penklis said.
A hybrid development model, to allow aspects of all homes to be electric as and when a resident wants, was the result of extensive consumer research that supported a step-wise approach to a more sustainable lifestyle, and has the potential to reduce ongoing energy costs by up to 20 per cent.
“NINE by Mirvac, is an example of this commitment in action, but we did so with our customers front of mind. Knowing that adoption of the new world of electric living takes time, we designed this development to allow for the transition to take place at each resident’s pace, and invested in increased sub-station capacity, upgraded backbone cabling to each building and enhanced submains to every apartment to allow a simple, progressive change towards electric living,” Penklis said.
NINE by Mirvac will also feature an all-electric building, Luma, which will be used as a pilot to identify, monitor, and adapt to usage trends over time.
“Luma provides us with the opportunity to test the market on uptake and respond to our residents’ needs. From this we will be able to gain valuable insights around water, power and charging use,” Penklis explained.
Notwithstanding the environmental and health benefits of an electrified community, the implementation of increased electric infrastructure will future-proof the site for potential technological advancements and sustainability enhancements – positively benefitting not just the initial sales strategy from a Mirvac point of view, but resale value and return on investment for customers.
Upon completion, the site will include approximately 1000 sqm of retail and commercial space, along with a 6500 sqm park, which will open the site up to the public for the first time.
Paying homage to the former history of the site, Mirvac has also incorporated recycled materials from the former TX transmission tower that was dismantled as part of the development.
The near $785 million NINE by Mirvac will feature 10 residential buildings in total, with the first residents due to move in mid-2023, with the whole project completion scheduled by end of 2023.
“NINE by Mirvac is a testament to our ability to not only produce a product of outstanding quality, but one that sets a new sustainability benchmark. Underpinned by our award-winning in-house design team and construction teams we are unrelenting in our vision to deliver exceptional quality and design excellence – core Mirvac values that ensure that we continue to deliver the very best for our customers, even in the most uncertain times,” Penklis concluded.