As Australia grapples with a tightening housing market and a rapidly ageing population, a former office tower on the Lower North Shore is emerging as a potential blueprint for how councils can deliver new homes faster, and with far lighter environmental impact.

Realside’s plan to convert a commercial building at 170 Pacific Highway in Greenwich into a 10-storey residential complex is drawing attention from planners and policymakers looking for alternatives to traditional development.

The adaptive reuse proposal targets the area’s surging over-55s demographic, a group that has struggled to find high-quality housing close to long-established social networks.

An independent market assessment found that nearly one in three residents in the project’s catchment is already over 55, well above the Sydney average, and with those aged 70-plus expected to jump another 29% in the next decade. But despite strong demand, suitable options remain scarce: high-end retirement housing accounts for just% of existing stock, most of it at full occupancy.

Realside CEO Linda Rudd says adaptive reuse offers a practical fix.

“The 170 Pacific Highway development demonstrates exactly why councils should endorse this kind of housing as a blueprint for the future.”

“It supports a rapidly growing demographic with clear, unmet needs, frees up much-needed family homes for younger households and delivers huge environmental benefits,” she says.

The Perth-based firm has built a reputation for high-performance commercial and mixed-use projects and is now positioning itself as a leader in office-to-residential conversions, a development model that remains complex and risky, but far faster than starting from scratch.

The project, designed by WMK Architecture, will deliver 48 apartments, with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, many with large floor plans and views toward Sydney Harbour.

Planned amenities include a heated mineral pool, steam room, sauna, fitness studio, landscaped communal areas, a wine cellar, a reading room, and a 20-seat dining room for hosting family events. A private cinema is also on the cards. The site sits near Greenwich Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital, giving residents access to one of the city’s major health precincts.

Realside says the building is set to become Australia’s first residential project seeking a WELL certification, a wellness-focused global rating that prioritises environmental health, social connection, and resident wellbeing.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the project is the decision not to demolish. After a six-month design review, Realside opted to keep the existing structure, that the company says will save 1.2 million kilograms of carbon and cut embodied emissions by 30% compared with a new build. The carbon savings alone equate to the annual emissions of about 125 households.

In an era when the built environment accounts for 37% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and with cement and steel production responsible for up to 15%, local councils under pressure to hit climate targets could do well to pay attention to this proposed development model.

The DA is now with Lane Cove Council.

Render image: Supplied.

Architecture & Design Team

Let’s connect!