A unique collaboration
The Prince’s Terrace Adelaide was a collaboration between like-minded organisations DHA, The Prince’s Trust Australia and Renewal SA, who share a vision to promote sustainable residential development.
The Terrace was the first residential project in Australia to receive a ‘6 Star Green Star’ design rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) in the ‘Design and As Built V1.1 2015’ category, and is the highest rated 6-Star project in South Australia (SA).
The Terrace encapsulates innovation and world leadership in sustainable design, with an emphasis on local, low-carbon materials and trades. Every fixture, fitting, product and supplier used in the building complies with Green Star criteria to reduce hidden emissions. A list of the suppliers and manufacturers used throughout construction is available for download here (PDF 44.88 KB).
The design
- Featured 8 terraces and 4 mews apartments.
- Utilised building modelling and sustainability analysis.
- Integrated passive design to drive greater thermal comfort and to maximise natural daylight and natural cross ventilation.
- Incorporated low-carbon lessons learnt in the United Kingdom.
- Focused on liveability and indoor-outdoor living.
The build
- Integrated sustainable technologies including LED lighting and photovoltaic solar panels.
- Emphasised local trades and suppliers.
- Emphasised local, low-carbon materials, including:
- locally made concrete with blast furnace slag content
- local granite
- 100-year-old bricks salvaged from heritage demolition sites
- Zego foam blockwork
- locally manufactured paver, and
- locally fabricated wrought iron balustrades.
- Used recycled storm water for non-potable purposes.
- Used high-efficiency water fittings.
- Measured embodied and operational carbon footprint and carbon savings throughout building lifespan via full life-cycle analysis.
- Tracked all of the above and more through the Green Star ‘As Built’ process to ensure that the vision for the project translated to reality.
The benefits
- Emphasised healthy living including natural daylight and ventilation, good acoustics, low VOC materials.
- Focused on the holistic design, which translates to lower utility bills and greater thermal comfort.
- Showcased compact living with no compromise on lifestyle or comfort.
- Used quality building materials designed for longevity and durability.
- Used local materials which means more jobs are created locally and less emissions are produced transporting goods.
- Focused on procuring certified materials, which showcases transparency and also advances the market for sustainable materials.
- Located in the Bowden community, which promotes car-free living, with great access to amenities on foot/bike and public transport.
The results
- First residential GBCA 6 Star Green Star design rated project in Australia (Design and As-Built V1.1 2015 category).
- First multi-unit residential complex in Australia to receive 6-Star Green Star ‘As Built’ rating.
- Highest rated Green Star project in SA (in any category).
- Uses 50% less energy than a typical urban townhouse*.
- Uses 50% less potable water than a typical urban townhouse*.
- Reduces carbon emissions by 50% in comparison to a standard residential build.
- Recycled 95% of waste—that’s tonnes of construction waste saved from landfill.
- Reduces electricity bills by $1,000 annually*.
- Supported 230 local trades and/or suppliers throughout the build.
- Achieved an average NaTHERS rating of 7.2 stars.
- Building costs to achieve the 6 Star Green Star accreditation (above standard industry practice) was an increase of approx. 6%.
* Anticipated results based on full life-cycle analysis.