New town square opens as Bowden celebrates sustainability achievement
The Bowden urban renewal project has achieved a major sustainability milestone as it hosts its biggest celebration ever to mark the opening of a new town square.
The Renewal SA site has been recognised as having the highest concentration of Green Star buildings anywhere in Australia, becoming only the second development in South Australia to achieve a project-wide 6 Star Green Star – Communities rating.
The rating signifies world leadership in planning, design and construction.
The award coincides with the opening of the town square, featuring the Bowden Park and converted industrial warehouse Plant 4 – the first part of Bowden’s new retail hub.
Adelaide-based Landscape Construction Services won the contract to build Bowden Park, while South Australian developer Mossop significantly upgraded the Plant 4 warehouse.
Background
Plant 4 Bowden is designed as a place to taste, shop and explore eateries, weekly produce markets, organic traders and indie stores, as well as regular hosted events.
Bowden Park is approximately 5,000m2 in the heart of the urban renewal project, landscaped with trees, grass and feature gardens.
So far more than 2 homes have been built at Bowden across 10 apartment and terrace developments, and more than 4 homes have been sold since the project was launched in 2012.
Once complete, Bowden will be home to about 30 people in more than 2400 new homes, equating to about $740 million in private sector development.
The Bowden development is designed to optimise natural heating and cooling through building orientation, sunshades, natural ventilation and quality materials such as windows.
The 6 Star Green Star – Communities certification was awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia.
Developed by the GCBA, Green Star is an independent and voluntary rating system for sustainable buildings and communities.
The Tonsley innovation precinct is the only other site to receive the 6 Star accolade in South Australia.
Bowden is delivering hundreds of jobs for South Australians each year.
In the past 12 months, Renewal SA has invested more than $20 million on delivering a range of infrastructure, streetscaping, building works, parkland improvements, landscaping and other works to improve the public realm in Bowden, all of which have gone to local builders, consultants, contractors and subcontractors.