An apartment development in Western Australia has been acknowledged for its sustainability with a highly-regarded accolade.  

Last week, Harris Architects’ Evermore project in White Gum Valley was recognised by Bioregional Australia Foundation as a One Planet Community. One Planet Living is an international framework and program that aims to make sustainability easy, affordable and attractive for communities, councils and companies. 

“One Planet Living is about working collaboratively to create places which enable people to live, work and do business within the natural limits of the planet,” says Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt. 

Bioregional Australia executive director Suzette Jackson says Evermore showed a strong commitment to sustainability, particularly through its shared solar initiative.

“[The project] is setting the bar high with its sustainability and quality of life features and is showing strong initiative in pioneering new technology and applications,” she says.

While the City of Fremantle was one of the first councils in Australia to become a One Planet City in 2014, Evermore is the first apartment development in Western Australia to receive this honour. It is only the fifth One Planet Community in Australia.

“[The development] is unique not only in that it is the first apartment development in Western Australia to be recognised as a One Planet Community, but it sits within a One Planet Community, LandCorp’s WGV precinct, within a One Planet City, the City of Fremantle,” says Jackson.

“While individually assessed, and recognised in their own right, they share a common vision of creating communities where it’s easy, attractive and affordable for people to lead happy and healthy lives using a fair share of the earth's resources.”    

DESIGN & INITIATIVES

Evermore will pioneer the use of shared solar technology in a large-scale strata setting with a governance model developed by the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute. It has been forecast the technology will produce approximately 80 per cent of the apartments’ power, with residents expected to benefit from a 30 per cent saving on their electricity bills.

Pete Adams, the director of the project’s developer, Yolk Property Group says Evermore aims to achieve sustainability through addressing the One Planet Living principles related to sustainable water, local and sustainable food, sustainable materials, zero waste, zero carbon – as well as culture and community.

Evermore will feature 24 modern one, two and three bedroom apartments in a two storey development split across two buildings.

Construction is expected to commence shortly and conclude early 2018.