Queensland’s property development community has taken another leap forward with Austcorp’s large eco-friendly development, Coomera Waters, which successfully combines environmental sustainability with all the benefits of a unique living environment.
Coomera Waters, a 496 hectare site on the picturesque Coomera River on Queensland’s Gold Coast, will boast over 1,300 homes, a 17 hectare harbour and a 72 berth marina for its residents. The development is a haven for birds and wildlife with nature reserves, wetland and parks all nurtured to support the local flora and fauna.
The properties themselves have been designed and built to maximise their ability to be environmentally sustainable so as to reduce their long-term impact on the environment and to promote eco-friendly living in the community. To do this Austcorp has focused on various ways to promote energy efficiency across the project.
Both the latest design principles and building products have been used across Coomera Waters to preserve visual aesthetics and ensure thermal efficiency in the homes to reduce air conditioning costs and electricity consumption.
As the first surface the sunshine will hit, light and mid-coloured roofs of the type made from COLORBOND steel are mandatory across the development.
Roofs made from COLORBOND steel are lightweight with a low thermal mass to help reduce the amount of heat radiated into the homes as the outside temperature cools at night. Also, it is 100% recyclable, so at the end of its service life it can be used again and not wasted.
Gas and solar power hot water systems are used across Coomera Waters to further reduce costs and damage to the environment and an architectural code has been established to assist residents in designing their homes in the most energy efficient way possible.
In recognition of its environmental achievements, Coomera Waters was named the finalist for several Queensland Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) awards in May this year including best master planned development and excellence in sustainable development.
According to Coomera Waters, this is a huge and exciting project for it and as eco-living now guides many people’s expectations and Coomera Waters is proving successful with the target market. Coomera Waters spent and continue to spend a lot of time researching the best way to make it a unique and environmentally sustainable development.
Austcorp decided to make roofing of the type made from COLORBOND steel mandatory across the development because it helps us to satisfy its energy efficiency goals. Also, it is desirable in terms of look and feel because of the range of colours available, it helped Austcorp create the overall contemporary, luxury style of Coomera Waters.
According to BlueScope Steel, steel is a great choice for this type of community because it is fully recyclable, energy efficient and can withstand extreme weather conditions, which is a real issue in Queensland.