Defence Housing Australia’s (DHA) newest residential development AE2, located 5km east of Parramatta CBD and 15km west of Sydney CBD, marks the first DHA development to be awarded Urban Development Institute Australia’s (UDIA) esteemed EnviroDevelopment certification.
The 21.3ha masterplanned community, which is a stand out due to its unique ‘village character’, has been recognised by the EnviroDevelopment initiative for its outstanding performance across all six leaves – Ecosystems, Waste, Energy, Materials, Water and Community.
National EnviroDevelopment Chair Brent Thomas congratulated DHA on their first certification and said it highlighted the developer’s commitment to providing affordable living options for Defence members and their families.
“DHA truly understand what it takes to create an environmentally sustainable community and have done an outstanding job to translate their vision of an ‘inner-city village’ into a reality,” Mr Thomas said.
“They have been careful to provide a community that not only adopts sustainable practices, but also sits well within the natural surroundings. DHA has created a high-quality development that complements the ‘village character’ and provides a diverse and visually interesting public space.”
“To deliver an affordable living space that integrates seamlessly into the existing environment is an incredible achievement and for that I highly commend them.”
DHA Managing Director Peter Howman said the planning and thought that went into AE2 was part of a much broader picture. Environmental impact and cost-effective amenity options for residents were considered equally as important as the bricks and mortar.
“We are immensely proud of the planning and thought that has gone into AE2 from start to finish. We wanted to provide buyers with an inner-city community option; one that had minimal impact on the environment, encourages safe, healthy and active lifestyles and results in lower household energy and water costs,” Mr Howman said.
“At DHA we strive to be innovative in our approach to building not just houses but communities. We’re committed to making our residential developments suitable not just for the community today, but for those of the future and that’s what we’ve done here with AE2,” he said.
Each individual dwelling at AE2 will incorporate an 2000L rainwater tank for toilet, washing machine and irrigation purposes, while upper levels on all double storey dwellings will utilise light weight materials to reduce the embodied energy of the external fabric, ultimately reducing water and energy costs for its residents.
Situated on the Parramatta River, development of AE2 will include improvements to the local foreshore, a cycleway and new surrounding parks, and will provide its 700 residents with river-front living and expansive views of Millennium Park and the 2000 Olympic Games facilities skyline.
AE2 was named in recognition of the efforts of those on-board the HMAS AE2 submarine, which paved the way for Allied submarines by crossing the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli campaign in World War I.
EnviroDevelopment projects have met stringent standards set by an expert panel including experienced ecologists, town planners, engineers, architects, lawyers, economists and developers.
“DHA focuses on six key sustainability areas: energy consumption, water consumption, effective waste management, materials, community wellbeing and the ecosystems of local flora and fauna. The EnviroDevelopment certification lets us communicate this effectively to our defence personnel and their families,” Mr Howman said.