SUBIACO’S Australian Fine China redevelopment will set new standards for environmentally friendly and sustainable design, according to the Subiaco Redevelopment Authority.
SUBIACO’S Australian Fine China redevelopment will set new standards for environmentally friendly and sustainable design, according to the Subiaco Redevelopment Authority.
The SRA is targeting more than 50 per cent reductions in scheme water use, greenhouse gas emissions and non-renewable energy use at the AFC site, compared to a similar mixed-use development.
Syrinx Environmental director and sustainability design consultant to the SRA, Kathy Meney, said a precinct-based design approach utilised at the AFC site would result in a new standard of environmentally sustainable development for the Perth metropolitan area.
Separate environmental targets were evaluated for each of the residential, commercial and retail elements of the plan, followed a whole of site modelling to determine integrated targets at a precinct level, Dr Meney said.
“This model was really to demonstrate to show at little extra cost, what you could gain by taking that precinct approach,” she said.
“In terms of state targets we are ahead of the 2030 targets for water and energy, and the reason we are is because we took an approach modelling the whole of site and trying to optimise what it could do, rather than worrying about somebody setting these targets.
“We looked at what the development could actually achieve and that means you get a much higher level outcome; for instance the state target for water is less than 100 megalitres per person per year, and they’ll be using less than 80 at this site.
“We designed the site as if there were no targets and we were just engaged to do the best job for that site. Rather than the targets being imposed, the targets sort of evolved out of the analysis of the site, and that’s a bit of a new approach, rather than setting a design guideline and leaving the developer to figure it out.”
Dr Meney said the techniques and initiatives applied at the AFC site would be duplicated in future developments around Perth.
“The whole function of SRA and EPRA is to create leading developments that people will copy; they’re trying to not do things that can’t be duplicated,” she said.
“Basically, a developer such as Satterley can look at the development, say ‘good idea,’ and copy that onto their next mixed-use development.
“The whole idea is if you scale all that up, that’s massive water savings, massive energy savings for the massive future population of Perth.”
Planning Minister John Day announced the approval of the Australian Fine China Scheme Amendment last month and removed any discretion the SRA had to increase the development’s height and floorspace area.
The removal of the height discretion ensures the development will be restricted to three- to five-storey buildings, with corner elements of six storeys for three of the lots.
The development will have a potential residential population of around 550, with a working population of up to 2,300.
The state government has committed to invest $50 million in the project, which it expects will attract $330 million of private investment.
Subdivision works will start midway through this year, land sales are expected to commence late in 2010, and the subdivision is expected to be completed mid-2011.
