A new development in Subiaco is looking to shake-up the urban landscape with a series of sustainability initiatives.
From recycled building materials and passive design techniques to a rooftop orchard and electric car charging points, Blackburne’s new mixed-use development ONE Subiaco is set to challenge preconceptions that inner-city living is a concrete jungle.
“Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must have’,” Blackburne founder and managing director Paul Blackburne said.
“Homebuyers are becoming more and more environmentally conscious, and so the property market needs to reflect that appetite for greener living - whether its standalone homes or apartments.”
ONE Subiaco will be a Four Star Green Star building, which is defined by the Green Building Council of Australia as “Australia’s best practice”.
The Green Star accreditation is a universally recognised rating system that assesses a range of requirements related to the building’s indoor environment quality, water energy usage, use of building materials and innovation in the sustainability space.
“We have always had a strong commitment to integrating environmentally sustainable initiatives within our developments,” Mr Blackburne said.
“ONE Subiaco is one of our largest developments to date, so this has provided us with a greater opportunity to get creative and really push the envelope of sustainability.”
ONE Subiaco has incorporated passive design techniques, including cross ventilation and natural light, to help reduce residents’ reliance on auxiliary heating and cooling, which accounts for about 40 per cent of energy use in the average Australian home.
In February this year Australia’s energy ministers committed to Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings, a national plan aimed at working towards zero energy buildings. Under this plan, the Australian Building Code Board is considering strengthening energy efficiency provisions within the national Construction Code.
“We’ve also incorporated solar infrastructure such as photovoltaic cells to generate electricity for the development’s embedded electrical network,” Mr Blackburne said.
“Aside from being socially responsible and preserving our environment for future generations, we hope ONE Subiaco’s inbuilt sustainability initiatives will also deliver ongoing savings for future generations.”
Located on the corner of Roberts and Rokeby Road, ONE Subiaco will have an embedded electricity network and smart metering installed across all of its three buildings; Rokeby, Roberts and Seddon, integrating energy-efficient lighting and a central gas hot water system.
Each building features a range of one to four-bedroom plus apartments with expressions of interest now open.
“Our focus on promoting green living also extends to the materials we have selected for ONE Subiaco; we’re using reclaimed timber that is audited by a third party to ensure we’re adhering to Australian best practice,” Mr Blackburne said.
“We’ve also selected low VOC paints to improve air quality. These paints have reduced amounts of volatile organic compounds - responsible for giving off that new paint smell.”
ONE Subiaco’s landscaped podium and green roof has also been designed to reduce stormwater runoff and sunlight reflection.
“Among the resort style amenities at ONE Subiaco, including a heated swimming pool, we’ve incorporated an urban orchard and that decision was purely based on the fact people are more likely to feel happier when around nature,” Mr Blackburne said.
“Studies have also shown that having open green spaces within the urban environment encourages social interaction - key to building a strong community.”
Beyond the built form, Blackburne has also proposed a food waste management program for the hospitality businesses located on the ground floor of ONE Subiaco.
Food waste from restaurants will be dehydrated on site and then collected for use as compost at local parks and gardens.
“ONE Subiaco will set the benchmark for the future of green city living,” Mr Blackburne said.
“And we hope it can provide other developers with a sustainability framework that will enable more buildings to achieve high environmental ratings.”
Visit Blackburne Property Group’s ONE Subiaco display suite open Monday – Friday 11am – 3pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am – 1pm at 24 Rokeby Road, Subiaco.
For more information and full apartment specifications visit: onesubiaco.com.au
