Stockland’s new $125 million Waterlea medium density housing project - formally known as Stamford Park - in Rowville, Victoria has been lauded by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), receiving a 6 Star Green Star communities rating.
The development scored full credits for ‘Governance’ and rated highly across the five rating areas of ‘Liveability’, ‘Economic Prosperity’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Innovation’.
According to Anthony Scafidi, senior development manager for Stockland, this development comes with its fair shar of pride “We have worked closely with Knox City Council and the Green Building Council of Australia to design Waterlea as a model development for affordability and sustainability. We are proud to be at the forefront of sustainable design which not only reduces the impact on the environment but also creates greater value for residents, decreasing energy usage and costs in the future.”
All homes in the new Waterlea community will include a range of sustainability features as standard, including electric vehicle recharge points, solar panels and rainwater tanks plumbed for toilet and laundry usage. These features will allow all homes to achieve an average 7 Star NatHERS rating.
“We estimate that the solar panel systems alone will save future residents between $1,000 and $2000 in energy costs per annum in perpetuity,” says Scafidi.
Upon completion in 2021, the new Waterlea urban community will include a mix of 22 standalone and semi-detached homes.
The new 6.3ha residential community has been designed to integrate with the surrounding 45ha parkland, wetland and heritage precinct that is being delivered by Knox City Council, while council is working in partnership with Swinburne University to design an innovative outdoor activity area that will be accessible for all abilities and ages.
“At Stockland, sustainability is integral to what we do, creating vibrant and thriving places to shop, work and live, now and into the future," says Scafidi.
“We believe affordability and sustainable design and construction need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, we’re incorporating the very latest, green energy generation and thermal efficiency measures to ensure all residents can dramatically reduce the cost of owning and running their own homes at Waterlea over an entire lifetime."
"The impact of encouraging a generation of home buyers to make more sustainable choices cannot be under-estimated, and we are uniquely positioned to promote more sustainable home design and construction on a national scale,” he says.
