WGV at White Gum Valley
WGV, led by land development agency DevelopmentWA, is Australia’s second One Planet Community. More than 80 homes are creating a vibrant community in Fremantle, Perth
Montreal Commons
Montreal Commons is a five-storey multi-residential project with a strong foundation in sustainability and has been designed around a strong sense of community. It is a superb example of One Planet Living in the built environment
Montreal Commons is a 5-storey multi-residential project by OP Properties. With a ground floor café tenancy and underground parking, the development will comprise of 39 apartments and cater to a variety of residents from different walks of life. Located in the coastal port town of Fremantle, Western Australia and adjacent to Fremantle Golf Course and Booyeembara nature reserve, Montreal Commons aims to set a new benchmark for residential apartments across Australia and globally, being one of the first apartment developments in Australia endeavoring to be certified carbon neutral for operational energy.
A low-carbon lifestyle for all residents will be delivered through renewable energy power-sharing between neighbouring residences in the East Knutsford precinct, rainwater collection and cross-ventilation.
With communal green spaces, outdoor BBQ area and courtyards, Montreal Commons not only fosters a sense of community within the building and its residents, but actively encourages residents to bond with their surroundings and extend beyond the development boundary for a wider sense of community. This integration with the immediate East Village Knutsford community will be bolstered by Montreal Commons’ ground floor café, as well as their shared local community food garden for the use of residents.
Health and happiness
Site inductions and the rollout of Mates in Construction (MIC), a suicide prevention and support programme, for all contractor staff will create an industry transformation opportunity. The social integration with wider East Village Knutsford will be an essential component of ensuring active, social, meaningful lives and achieving good health and wellbeing goals
Culture and community
Community engagement sessions and forums working with Curtin University and the use of local artists on programme material are planned and, in some cases, already implemented. The formation of the community garden group and online platform provides a supporting mechanism in delivery. Large communal space for interaction, events, BBQs, games and more are integrated in the building design
Sustainable water
All landscape irrigation water comes from the communal bore, a sustainable water source. The aquifer for the bore will be replenished when stormwater percolates down from the site. Protection of stormwater runoff will be controlled during the construction phase, and rainwater capture storage and reuse will be part of an integrated strategy with East Village Knutsford
Travel and transport
Secure and easily accessible cycle storage for each apartment, targeting one secure bike bay per apartment at a central location. Easily accessible cycle bays for visitors. Communal bay in the basement reserved for car sharing. Provision for future EV charging stations for each apartment and residents can use the public EV charging station
Zero waste
All apartments to have three kitchen bins and the communal bin store will have dedicated areas for different waste streams, in line with Fremantle’s Food Organic & Garden Organics (FOGO) scheme. Minimum target of 80% to landfill could be improved for demolition and construction waste, although local infrastructure does not support this well. Bins will be provided that can collect some electronic waste, with bins near the Café area collect soft plastics too
One Planet Living is our vision of a world where we can live happily within the Earth’s resources, and a straightforward framework to achieve this
Find out more
Leadership review
East Village at Knutsford
An ambitious new development in Western Australia is combining an innovative shared solar micro-grid with a focus on fostering community to enable residents to enjoy truly sustainable lives
Green Village
One Planet Living informs every aspect of Green Village, a real estate project in Geneva, Switzerland. Once completed, the district will be home to 3,000 employees, over 200 hotel and apartment rooms, 50 families, and numerous local services