Park Street is a pioneering project by Milieu Property, in collaboration with Breathe Architecture, that revitalises a 1970s motel in Brunswick, Melbourne, into 17 sustainable, energy-efficient apartments designed specifically for the rental market.

This 'renovate to rent' model addresses Melbourne's rental housing shortage by repurposing existing structures, thereby reducing construction waste and environmental impact.

The project was highly commended in the Adaptive Reuse (Alteration/Addition) at the Sustainability Awards 2024, brought to you by Architecture & Design.

“We believe Park Street by Milieu designed by Breathe was honoured in the sustainability awards as it is a regenerative approach to housing that challenges the status quo – one that retrofitted a building that was at the end of its practical life and tailored it to meet the needs of today’s renters. Through preservation, Park Street sparks a conversation of what sustainability within the industry can look like,” says the Milieu team.

“Park Street is one of many mid-century apartment blocks synonymous with the rich character of Brunswick. Ageing buildings making up a large proportion of our city, yet these buildings often have generous layouts with plenty of natural light and ventilation and such positive built-form outcomes would not be possible today.

“With construction taking just four months (compared to two years for a traditional build), Park Street looked to serve as a pragmatic approach to improving Australia’s sustainable footprint and we hope it is viewed as achievable and replicable by others and that we can inspire change with how the industry thinks about sustainability.”

According to Milieu, it is important acknowledging that when new materials, fittings or fixtures were required, design decisions by Breathe always honoured the heritage of Park Street while responding to the 21st century climate crisis.

“For example, kitchen joinery in each apartment was retained yet given a new lease on life through colourful, vibrant new paint and updated hardware. Other decision decisions include replacing the vinyl flooring inside each apartment with natural carbon-positive cork and the carpet updated to 100% wool carpet which is biodegradable and recyclable. However, most importantly was the electrification of Park Street, providing a cleaner environment for all residents going forward,” says the Milieu team.

In a nutshell, the project taught both Breathe and Milieu how to do a lot with a little.

“The brief was simple: through preservation, Park Street aims to divert significant volumes of waste from landfill. Beyond preservation, Park Street will introduce abundant greenery through ground-floor landscaping and build a vibrant community,” say Breathe Founders Tamara Veltre and Jeremy McLeod.

“The project was about building less to give more. It was about looking back to look forward. To take design cues from the existing building, to lean into that and to create homes with authenticity and delight and importantly to create homes that tread lightly on the planet.”

According to the Veltre and McLeod, Park street isn’t just about 17 beautiful homes, it’s about building a community. It’s about showing the market that there is financial elegance in radical reuse.

“The way to a zero future is radical re-use. We can't just demolish the 2.5 million homes we have in Melbourne, throw all that carbon away and start again. That just doesn't work. We have to harness every building we can, every bit of existing carbon, and we have to find a way to do it, built with love, to do it with style and to do it at scale.”

This category is sponsored by Bondor.

Image: Park Street/Tom Ross.

Clémence Carayol

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