Lend Lease has achieved the first 6 Star Green Star – Communities rating from the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) for their master-plan for the new community village at Alkimos Beach in Perth.

The first 240 hectares of the 710 hectare master-planned community is being developed by Lend Lease and LandCorp, and will deliver 2,000 homes for 6,000 residents.

Alkimos Beach achieved 78 points on the Green Star ratings tool and the key sustainability measures listed by the GBCA show that these were awarded for Lend Lease’s focus on curtailing residential energy usage and the provisions of healthy lifestyle infrastructure for residents.

All homes at Alkimos will be within 800 metres of both the local centre and transport links and will be no more than 200 metres from a park. Thirty per cent of the site has also been reserved for open space, and walking and cycle paths will link the beach, the town centre and the train station.

Homes will have certain mandatory elements such as solar panels, gas boosted solar hot water systems as well as other energy-efficient appliances, and will be supported by a financial incentive package from the Alkimos Beach development partners. These measures alone are tipped to reduce home energy bills by up to 50 per cent.

Lend Lease offers Smart Home guidelines and an Energy Smart Home Tool  (pictured below) on the Alkimos Beach website to aid building designers and occupants in the creation of homes that achieve high environmental credentials.

Smart water initiatives are also planned throughout the site and will include stormwater retention, bore water irrigation and water efficient appliances in each home.

“Fibre-to-the-Premises” internet connectivity is being provided throughout the development which the GBCA says will encourage the notion of working from home.

The community’s beachside location has seen Lend Lease adopt a “distinctively coastal” architectural style that adopts a blend of traditional and contemporary construction techniques and materials.

Similarly, the landscape design, aided by AECOM landscape consultants, embraces the coastal environment.The natural undulation of the dunes will be kept in attempt to create an overall effect of being nestled in nature.

Lend Lease’s marketing video shows more on the proposed Alkimos Beach development:

Images: Lend Lease.