Perth master-planned project awarded 6 stars

Perth master-planned project awarded 6 starsAlkimos Beach, in Perth’s northern coastal suburbs, has been awarded Australia’s first 6 Star – Communities rating for a residential master-planned project by the Green Building Council of Australia.The Green Star – Communities scheme assesses and certifies the sustainability credentials of large-scale master-planned development projects. Alkimos Beach was assessed against established benchmarks for governance and innovation, design excellence, environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and liveability.Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) CEO Romilly Madew said Alkimos Beach’s 6 Star Green Star rating “sets the bar for world leadership community development and demonstrates a long-term commitment to sustainability at scale”.”We applaud the range of initiatives – from education campaigns, to financial incentives, to technology – that will help the residents of Alkimos Beach embrace more sustainable living,” she said.Among the key initiatives implemented at Alkimos Beach is Australia’s first energy storage trial, which will incorporate innovative storage technology at the residential community level. The trial is expected to cost approximately $6.7 million over a four-year period, with half of the funding to come from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), in addition to financial and in-kind contributions by development partners Lend Lease and LandCorp and Australian energy retailer Synergy.The trial is expected to provide a better understanding of how community-scale infrastructure, combined with energy efficiency incentives, can help manage and mitigate household energy costs.Other sustainability initiatives planned for Alkimos Beach include: solar panelling, gas-boosted solar hot water systems and other energy-efficient appliances that are expected to reduce home energy bills by up to per cent; smart water initiatives throughout the site, such as stormwater retention and bore water irrigation; and fibre-to-the-premises internet connectivity to encourage working from home.Tarun Gupta, CEO of Property at Lend Lease, said the 6 Star Green Star rating awarded to Alkimos Beach was an example of the integrated capability of Lend Lease and showed that disciplined execution could deliver outstanding results.”We are very proud about achieving an Australian first and leading the market on sustainability and community development,” he said.The first 240 ha of the 710 ha Alkimos Beach community is currently in development. Once completed, the first stage will deliver more than 2000 homes for 6000 residents.All of the homes will be within 800m of both the local centre and transport, with walking and cycle paths set to link homes with the town centre, train station and beach. Thirty per cent of the site will be reserved for open space.