Mirvac’s redevelopment of the former Marrickville Hospital site in inner Sydney is set to be one of the first projects of its size to register for One Planet Living status.
One Planet Living communities incorporate 10 principles that cover Energy and Carbon, Waste Management, Sustainable Transport, Sustainable Materials, Local and Sustainable Food, Sustainable Water, Land Use and Wildlife, Culture and Heritage, Equity and Local Economy, and Health and Happiness.
The end goal is for developments to work within the bounds of the capacity of the planet, producing just 0.8 tonnes of carbon a year per person by 2050, and having an ecological footprint of 1.25 global hectares a person by 2050.
The new Marrickville Community Hub will feature a library, public open space, community facilities and residential apartments.
Bioregional Australia Foundation executive director Suzette Jackson said the project was an ideal opportunity to test the application of One Planet Living in the Sydney market.
“It is a very important site to the residents of the inner-west, and with development of a community hub there will be a contribution back to the community,” she said.
“The principles guide the development approach creating a community sensitive to the needs of the region; providing the appropriate amount of open space, facilities and amenities to support the broader community.”
Mirvac head of residential John Carfi said the project would feature 225 apartments, nine of which would be dedicated to the council for key worker housing.
“Marrickville already has a strong and engaged local community that places a high value on environmental and social issues,” Mr Carfi said.
“By applying the One Planet Living principles to the development we aim to create a place that embraces the community and advances Mirvac’s This Changes Everything sustainability plan.”
Having a One Planet development is a key goal of the plan for 2016.
He said that the development wasn’t “just about green buildings” either.
“As developers we have a responsibility to ensure that the places we create make a positive contribution to the people who live there and the communities around them.”
The development was of particular importance due to the continued resource intensity of the country.
“In Australia we enjoy a fantastic lifestyle but it comes at a cost,” Mr Carfi said.
“If everybody in the world lived like us we would need 3.7 planets to sustain us. Clearly we have only one planet so we must take all necessary steps to reduce our footprint and look at sustainability in a more holistic way.”
HIP V. HYPE acted as One Planet Living sustainability Integrator on the project. Co-founder Peter Steele said the project represents an important shift for a large, mainstream developer such as Mirvac.
“It’s exciting to see an infill residential project of this scale take a comprehensive approach to sustainability. One Planet Living provides a great framework for a really robust and creative sustainability integration process, it’s great to see Mirvac taking this on.”