the right place
Small moves make a big difference in a display home that shows how it’s possible and easy to live sustainably and well.
Take a look inside the Future Ready Display Home at The Fabric in Melbourne’s inner west suburb of Altona North and there’s a bright ray of hope that the take, make, waste approach has passed its use by date.
Signalling the sustainability ethos behind The Fabric, Mirvac assembled 16 sustainability pioneers, innovators and makers to showcase products that put planet before profit, demonstrating that considered manufacture and thoughtful consumption can make a world of difference.
The Fabric is ahead of its time, already kicking plenty of sustainability goals with all-electric townhomes fitted with solar panels achieving a minimum 7-star NatHERS rating, designed to use 27 per cent less energy for heating and cooling than a 6-star home. Given that existing homes in Victoria average just 1.8 stars, homes at The Fabric are guaranteed to be more comfortable, cheaper to run and friendlier to the planet than the average house.
Landscaped entrance by Eckersley Garden Architecture
Coffee table by Plyroom, dining table by Koala, dining chairs by Jardan, armchair by Jardan, greenery by Plant Society
Government legislation has been a factor in producing more energy efficient homes and Mirvac has been pushing sustainability targets in residential development since adopting its ambitious ‘This Changes Everything’ sustainability strategy. But what can’t be legislated or dictated are the individual behaviours that often negate the environmental gains of a sustainable home.
Mirvac General Manager, Residential Development VIC & WA, Elysa Anderson, says the Future Ready Display Home provides an opportunity to educate existing and future homeowners on the benefits of sustainable living.
“Mirvac is at the forefront of driving change in housing sustainability initiatives and we understand that home efficiency is more important than ever to homeowners,” says Ms Anderson.
“The Future Ready Display Home is part of our long-term goal to improve our residents’ lifestyle by reducing their energy bills and environmental impact.
“Our partnerships with this amazing group of Australia’s most innovative sustainable consumer brands will allow us to collectively connect with and educate our community on how sustainable products can positively impact their daily lives.”
“We minimise waste through our production and the materials we choose. We are making responsible and thoughtful decisions and those impacts can be felt down the road.”
The Fabric Stage 1 townhomes
Bed and base by Koala, bedside table by Plyroom, 100% French Linen by Carlotta + Gee
“Our mission was to do less harm which meant starting from a point of view that if you have a product, you have an impact, and then working all the way along to reduce that impact.”
Collaborators featured in the display home include Boody, Carlotta & Gee, Community Bike Hub, Go for Zero, Great Wrap, Harvey Norman, Jardan, Joshua Space, Koala, Monten Soda, Outland Denim, Pleasant State, Plyroom, Rocc, Sans Beast, Smeg, The Dirt Company, and The Plant Society.
Five years ago, The Dirt Company founder, Frankie Layton, set out to create beautiful sustainable laundry products that were cost efficient, pure and sold in completely closed loop packaging.
“Our mission was to do less harm which meant starting from a point of view that if you have a product, you have an impact, and then working all the way along to reduce that impact,” says Ms Layton.
“Our refill return program is the lynchpin of our sustainability activities. One of our most profound moments was the day we sat down and calculated the impact of just reducing plastic in the way we deliver our laundry detergent. If you count that up on a per wash basis it totals 50 tonnes.”
Pleasant State co-founder, Sian Murray, had packaging and toxic chemicals in her sights when she and co-founder Ami Bateman developed the concentrated cleaning bars that are the foundation of a range of sustainable cleaning products, among them a multi-purpose bathroom and glass cleaner, hand wash and dishwashing detergents.
“There is this notion that if you want to live more sustainably you have to give up things that you love and purchase products that don’t look as nice,” says Ms Murray. “Instead, our products are flipping that on its head.
“What’s great about the Future Ready Display Home is that it shows how you can have a sustainable home, that’s really well designed and has beautiful products, and you don’t have to give up anything.”
Koala Vice President of Product Design, James Whitta, whose furniture is featured in the display home, says more businesses are stepping forward to be part of the change.
“As a B Corp we are constantly working to improve the planet, leaving the place better than when we found it,” says Mr Whitta. “We do this by making responsible choices in the materials we use and the services we offer. Consumers are demanding better in this area but it is incumbent on businesses to be part of the change.”
One of the easiest ways to reduce waste is to buy products that have a long life and can be adapted for a second life. That philosophy underpins the creative output of furniture studio, Plyroom, whose featured products include a baby’s cot, sideboard, coffee table, bedside tables, bench and drawers.
“We minimise waste through our production and the materials we choose,” says Plyroom founder Elise Heslop. “We are making responsible and thoughtful decisions and those impacts can be felt down the road.”
Illustrating the brand’s versatility, the Ava Lifestages Cot can become a junior bed, day bed, even a student desk, giving it an almost infinite life, long after the baby years.
Recycled bike by Community Bike Hub
Large Void Mirror by Joshua Space
Nori Stools by CYCL, Mini Void Mirror by Joshua Space
Chair by Koala, dresser by Plyroom
It’s the kind of out of the box innovative thinking that has driven the design of The Fabric. Homes are built to Livable Housing Australia Silver Standard which means they can be easily adapted to support living with a disability or ageing.
The 11.5 hectare masterplanned community is already home to about 115 residents and when completed will be a thriving community of around 500 homes. With an equal emphasis on social sustainability, a 4,000sqm park, “Patchwork Park” recently opened complete with play equipment, a herb garden, barbecues and picnic shelters.
A community wide rainwater harvesting system captures and diverts rainwater from rooftops to several water tanks underneath Patchwork Park and is used for irrigating the park and other landscaped spaces.
A community garden and kitchen in partnership with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is currently under construction to be opened in Spring 2023, with The Cook’s Patch program bringing people together and helping to form positive food habits for life.
Discover more about The Fabric here.
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