First 6 Star Green Rating For Residential Project In Australia

Shout Ridge, a residential development in the Defence Housing Australia (DHA) Crimson Hill precinct at Lindfield, has just been awarded a 6 Star Green Star - Multi Unit Residential Design v1 Certified Rating. This is the first time this rating has been given to a residential project in Australia.

Due for completion in September 2016, Shout Ridge comprises 88 apartments in two buildings on a site nestled into the edge of the Lane Cove National Park. From the outset, sustainability was a priority for DHA, appointing only consultants with strong sustainability credentials to the project. These included - Arcadia Landscape Architecture, Architectus, Cundall, Enstruct and TSA.

The Shout Ridge project design team worked closely together throughout the whole design process to achieve this rating, which represents “world leadership” in environmentally sustainable design and was awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia.

“The Shout Ridge site provided a unique and exciting opportunity for the team to design a residential flat building that responds to and respects the ancient landscape of the adjacent Lane Cove National Park,” said Alex Longley, principal of Arcadia Landscape Architecture. “The bushland setting of Shout Ridge provided an existing set of environs that allowed us to weave the sustainable elements seamlessly into the landscape design, with the retention of many significant existing trees, an extension of the bushland planting palette made up exclusively of endemic species to the Lane Cove National Park, while providing communal open space amenity that sets this residential flat development apart.”

“The creation of a sustainable community is a priority for Shout Ridge and to support this more than 25 per cent of the total site area has been developed for outdoor communal use. This includes elevated pedestrian connections that weave through the existing trees, outdoor dining and cooking facilities, a community garden with composting facilities and worm farm, open landscaped areas for active play and seating areas in quiet zones, with access to sun and shade.”

Cundall were the ESD consultants for Shout Ridge, and were instrumental in achieving the 6 Star Green Star Rating through their coordination of the design and documentation of all aspects of the project.

“We worked closely with the whole design team to ensure that sustainability was fully integrated into the design,” said Hannah Morton, Associate at Cundall. “A 6 Star Green Star rating requires strong performance in all environmental impact categories, however Shout Ridge in particular focused on energy, water, indoor environmental quality, ecology, community and innovation. The project achieved the maximum innovation credits available, incorporating initiatives such as social return on investment analysis, life cycle analysis, design for active living, contractor education and occupant surveys.

“From the outset, the client and the design team were committed to achieving the highest available Green Star Rating. A combination of good passive design, responsible material selection, rainwater reuse, solar thermal hot water heating and photovoltaic energy generation all contributed to the high score.”
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Architectus designed Shout Ridge to meet the Silver level of the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines. Architectus Project Leader, Russell Isaac-Cole said:“This 6 Star Green Star project is the direct result of a strong client vision and a collaborative design team. Exploring the many possibilities in the design phase was key to the project staying on budget while still delivering increased amenity for the residents through innovative sustainable design.”

The Crimson Hill development at Lindfield was DHA’s first foray into the apartment market back in 2014 and the public release of Shout Ridge apartments sold out in less than 10 days. Construction is now reaching completion and the distinctive four-storey complex, in Lindfield on Sydney’s North Shore, will be handed over to the new residents in September 2016.

‘Buyers are looking for interesting neighbourhoods that are well serviced and where homes are affordable and efficient to run. Sustainability is the right thing to do and it’s what our customers want, so it makes good business sense,’ DHA’s Acting Managing Director Jan Mason said.

Green Star is an internationally-recognised sustainability rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of buildings and communities. There are four Green Star rating tools for certification of design, construction and operation of buildings, fitouts and communities.