Breezes Muirhead is the first residential community in the Northern Territory to achieve the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s (UDIA) EnviroDevelopment rating for excellence in sustainability, one of only nineteen residential communities in Australia to have received accreditation across six areas.
Defence Housing Australia (DHA) and Investa Land are developing Breezes Muirhead in Darwin’s sought-after northern suburbs. Sustainability underpins the new community, which has been designed to integrate positively with Darwin’s tropical climate and provide climatically sensitive housing.
The UDIA’s EnviroDevelopment national accreditation system is awarded to developments that achieve outstanding performance across six different elements of sustainability - energy, water, materials, ecosystem, waste and community.
This respected accreditation system enables purchasers to instantly recognise a truly environmentally sustainable community, which brings a raft of benefits to home owners.
“The benefits for families building a home in an EnviroDevelopment accredited community are far greater than gaining satisfaction from limiting their environmental footprint. There can be long-term cost savings, as well as social and health benefits which should not be underestimated,” said Mr Paul Perkovic, Project Director, Investa Land.
“New home buyers can be confident that when they choose to build their home at Breezes Muirhead, they will be living in a community which places a minimal impact on the environment, encourages an active, healthy lifestyle and includes homes with initiatives that reduce energy and water usage,” he said.
According to Peter Howman, DHA Managing Director, Breezes Muirhead has set a new benchmark for sustainability in the Northern Territory.
“Environmental sustainability has been a driving factor in the design and construction of Breezes Muirhead, to ensure that the community meets the needs of its residents today and into the future. To be officially recognised by the UDIA as the most sustainable neighbourhood in the Northern Territory is very rewarding,” Mr Howman said.
Breezes Muirhead is an energy efficient community which encourages the adoption of initiatives that can reduce energy costs for home owners. The use of environmentally-friendly building products creates healthier homes, and the inclusion of parks, cycle ways and footpaths within the community encourages an active lifestyle.
A key feature of Breezes Muirhead is its innovative ‘breezeway' design concept. Each home site will feature a ‘side yard,’ facilitating the channeling of breezes throughout the community and providing an area for outdoor entertaining or boat storage.
Innovative master-planning ensures that allotments are orientated to capture the prevailing dry and wet season cooling breezes, with design guidelines encouraging home owners to adopt a sustainable, locally appropriate approach to architecture and design.
National EnviroDevelopment Board of Management Chair Brent Thomas commended DHA and Investa Land on their seamless integration of sustainable development with the unique needs of the Darwin community.
“Breezes Muirhead takes into consideration the Northern Territory climate as well as the immediate and long-term health of its residents to produce a space that will live and grow with the community – worthy of EnviroDevelopment recognition.
“The environmental and lifestyle benefits that will come from this development are testament to the developer’s vision and truly raises the bar for all developers in the Northern Territory,” Mr Thomas said.
Open green space is another feature that differentiates Breezes Muirhead from other communities. On completion 18 per cent of the site, more than 30 hectares will be dedicated to public space and parks, while preserving ecosystems and providing jogging tracks and a ‘bush tucker trail’ to encourage community engagement with their natural environment.