Greencycle home showcases housing future

Landcom has opened its second Eco-Living Display Home at The Ponds in Sydney’s north-west. The Greencycle home has a seven star rating and features building materials and products that are environmentally friendly, have low embodied energy, a high recycled content and are capable of being recycled.

Clarendon Homes was selected by Landcom to construct all three of its Eco-Living Display Homes, which showcase sustainability concepts and products for the project home industry and general housing market.

Steve Driscoll, Director, Sustainability and Policy at Landcom said, “The Greencycle home highlights how environmentally conscious people can use recycled products in their home to lower their carbon output at an affordable price. Each year the building industry contributes significant tonnes to landfill across Australia. The Greencycle home showcases the benefits associated with various recycled products, thereby educating consumers, as well as the project home building industry, how everyone can contribute to reducing excessive landfill waste.”

“The home uses clever materials that produce much less carbon when compared to traditional building materials. Significantly it also incorporates universal housing principles into the design, enabling people to potentially live in their home over their lifetime without the need for major adaptation or specialised design. Universal housing effectively responds to the needs of people of different ages and abilities over time.”

Shaila Divakarla, Design Sustainability Specialist from Clarendon Homes added, “The recycled products market is growing as people become more environmentally conscious. They are also becoming cheaper as demand continues to grow. Builders and consumers need to seek ways to put back into the environment rather than keep taking from it. Concrete is the most dominant CO2 contributor when building a home, contributing between 3 to 5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. The materials used in the home are clever and showcase some of the best recycled products available on the market.”

“Compared to the standard home, occupants will see reductions of 41 per cent on heating and cooling loads through the ability to section off rooms for heating and cooling purposes, orientation towards the sun and thermal materials used. Overall the Greencycle home has a 74 per cent BASIX rating which is nearly double the mandated compliance target.”

“By replacing standard Clarendon materials in the major building elements with the sustainable materials used in the Greencycle home, a 30 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions is achieved. This figure will be higher when the carbon sequestration value of the predominantly timber based materials are taken into account,” she added.

Consultants including global company Ecospecifier were appointed to assess different materials and products to determine which were most suitable to showcase in the Greencycle home. The process included reviewing which building materials were carbon heavy such as walls, floors and roofs using Landcom’s PRECINX tool.  PRECINX was then used to determine where CO2 reductions could be made with various materials during the building cycle; reviewing which products that had a high recycled content were capable of being recycled at the end of their lifecycle; material cost and supply availability of various products. 

Recycled materials featured in the home included green concrete ‘ecomax 1’.  This contains a 20 per cent replacement of cement with fly ash and slag from power station waste which also improves the strength of the product.  Another is ‘eco-top’ benchtops in the kitchens and bathrooms that look like stone and comprise 50 per cent bamboo and 50 per cent recycled paper and cardboard. The floorboards are made from fast growing bamboo, a renewable building material.  Bamboo floors are also easy to clean and do not harbor dust, making it a great product for asthma sensitive consumers.  Also weathertex is used throughout, which is an engineered weatherboard, using timber fibres from certified sustainable forests and natural wax.

The Greencycle home features a lush garden with big green leafed plants creating a sense of tropical dappled shade. The garden uses captured water, held on site via a series of water features acting as reservoirs. These help sustain a frog and fish friendly environment. Lush irrigated lawn is used throughout the garden. 

Landcom is funding the Eco-Living Display Homes project. The Benchmark home, which showcases practical sustainability products and features, opened in June this year. It has received a very positive response from potential house purchasers. 

Later this year the third home, the Net-Zero emissions home, will open.  It will challenge the building industry and consumer thinking on sustainability. It will be a smaller and smarter home which showcases leading-edge design and technologies that have been blended to create a home with virtually no bills.

The Eco-Living Display Village Homes are located at Pebble Crescent, The Ponds.

For further information visit: www.ecolivingdisplayhomes.com.au

Happening around and about

Looking for somewhere to walk the dog? The nearest dog parks are at the corner of Stanhope Gardens & Sunnyholt Road and another at Sherwood Park, Corner of Hambledon Road & Quakers Hill Parkway, Quakers Hill.

Mums with babies, would you like to join a new parent’s group? Please contact Kerrie on 0434 085 836.

Riverbank Drive Bridge is nearing competition and will provide a connection via Ridgeline Drive to Kalina by the end of the year.

The new Schofields Station will open on 29 October.

The Playing Fields are close to completion with a handover to Blacktown City Council expected in early November.

Record sales at The Ponds

The Ponds has this month recorded its best monthly sales result this year, with a staggering 77 land deposits during September. 

Spring has traditionally been a hectic time of year for real estate agents. The Ponds is leading the Spring land sale charge across the North West, with its sales performance this month.

An independent report recently completed by The National Land Survey program highlighted that in the past 12 months to June 2011, The Ponds has been the standout performer in the North West region with over 350 retail sales, making it the top performing project in NSW and the third best-selling project in the country.

Carmen Osborne, Development Director at Landcom comments, “The Ponds has continued to deliver strong sales results each year since its launch four and a half years ago. This project is now running almost 18 months ahead of schedule following the overwhelming sales momentum that it continues to achieve.”

“Local residents and the broader Sydney community have embraced this new suburb which is well suited to a diverse range of house hunters including first home buyers, young couples, empty nesters and growing families. Purchasers understand they are not just obtaining a piece of land and building their dream home on it, but also buying into a thriving community that boasts numerous facilities.”

The next land release will be issued on the 15th October. Fourteen land lots will be available in the Paperbark five area, with prices starting at $310,000 and ranging in size from 392 sq m to 524 sq m. This precinct includes easy building lots, no community levies, wide frontages and many offer panoramic bushland views. 

The Ponds $2 million Land Buyers Giveaway!

To celebrate 2,000 residents living at The Ponds, Landcom and Australand are giving away $2 million worth of Woolworths WISH Gift Cards. $20,000 to each of the first 100 purchasers who buy land between 10 September and 30 October 2011. Plus, eligible purchasers pay no stamp duty courtesy of the NSW Government’s Home Builder Bonus.

Save on food, petrol, groceries and a range of other life necessities to give you the home ownership start you’ve always wanted. So lower the cost of living for your family and secure a great homesite in Sydney’s fastest growing suburb, The Ponds. Land prices start from a low $310,000.

Hurry! First in best dressed. Offer commences Saturday 10 September and ends Sunday 30th October 2011.

Conditions apply see website for details www.theponds.com.au or call 9629 1212 or visit the Sales & Display Centre.

Plans lodged for community facility at The Ponds

Australand and Landcom have lodged a development application with Blacktown City Council to build a community resource hub at The Ponds. Construction is expected to start late 2012, with completion due in 2013.

The 1100 square metre multi-purpose building will provide several community facilities such as meeting and technology rooms, function rooms, children’s art and play areas, a large commercial kitchen and spaces for community services.

Nigel Edgar, General Manager, Residential NSW from Australand commented, “The Ponds is a growing community with over 900 homes already occupied. In addition to the extensive facilities already built in the masterplanned community, we determined that a project of this size could also significantly benefit from a central community resource hub. The proposed hub will offer local residents a place to meet friends and neighbours and help to foster a strong community spirit.”

“The aim is to create a life-long learning environment for residents. It has been designed to provide health and wellbeing opportunities, early childhood clinics, counseling services, recreational and cultural programs and a venue for family events. A community garden is also included in the plans.”

The proposal makes use of the existing Sales and Marketing Centre on Riverbank Drive with a revised internal layout and construction of an additional hall. The proposed community resource hub is located centrally within The Ponds and is linked by a network of pathways, cycleways and roads that connect to the wider community. It has been designed to meet the diverse needs of The Ponds community.

John Palmer Public School, the parklands, future proposed retail centre and eastern playing fields are all within close proximity to the community resource hub.

A series of workshops have been held since 2008 in consultation with local residents, the community and Council to determine the most effective design and use for the community resources hub.

Cox Architects designed the original Sales and Display Centre. BN Architects designed the reuse and extension to complete the community resource hub design. The hub is designed to allow for the multiple uses of rooms, and boasts a number of sustainable design elements including a 60KW solar panel system to keep running costs down.

The Ponds Community Facilities

Creating a community hub has been a focus of community facility planning at The Ponds. The hub will be based on the refurbishment of the sales centre that is strategically positioned in close proximity to the local school.

In the future a retail centre will be constructed close to the centre.  The sales centre will ultimately be extended and converted into a multi-functional community facility. It will include meeting and technology education rooms and a large commercial kitchen for use by hirers and hospitality students.

The aim is to provide a life-long learning environment for the residents at The Ponds in this multi-purpose facility. The car park area will be transformed into a hall for recreational activities such as yoga, pilates and tai chi. 

Landcom also engaged a firm to undertake extensive collaboration with the community to ensure they are fully involved in the decision making process for this important community asset. Blacktown City Council will manage this central facility. It has embraced the community hub concept of keeping several major facilities in a common location, which will greatly assist with their management.

Medical Practice opens at The Ponds

The first Family Medical Practice opened last week in the The Ponds.

Located on the corner of 165 The Ponds Boulevard and Lilypad Avnue, the carpark is located off Lilypad Avenue. 

Doctors Thomas and Naaz are looking forward to being of service to the residents of The Ponds and surrounds.

The surgery is open from 8.30 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday and from 8.30 am to 4 pm on Saturdays.  Phone: 8824 4777. 

Public Art at The Ponds

Public art is becoming a key component of the cultural interpretation and community building in new development areas. The Ponds Arts Strategy has a broad focus including the development of public art projects in key localities such as entry points to the suburb, the creek line, neighbourhood parks, community spaces and the parklands corridor. The arts strategy works hand-in-hand with the landscape strategy. It supports regional and emerging artists and, as the program evolves, will have increasing community involvement. 

A dramatic art piece called Float, positioned at the entry to the development and featuring twelve gigantic upturned umbrellas, has become a talking point for residents.  Seating shaped like a local owl has delighted children in one of the local neighbourhood parks. Aboriginal artwork called Gathering and Under Story is to be installed by the local Darug people and other local artists in 2011, to acknowledge the Aboriginal heritage of the area.

A national public art  competition featuring the theme of the ‘culture of water’ is currently being run and is attracting attention from the country’s best environmental artists. The winning art work will be the centrepiece for a water based park in The Ponds and will mirror the neighbourhood’s water management and sustainability practices.

The community has embraced the public art and they use it to find their way, give directions to visitors (“turn right at the umbrellas”) and it subconsciously reinforces many of the design principles which have guided Landcom at The Ponds.

Go to People Places People TV and view more on The Ponds Public Art with Marla Guppy. 

The Ponds Street Design

Streets are the building blocks for all communities and contribute to a “sense of place”, thereby making places memorable. People meet their neighbours in the streets and congregate in them as part of their social activities.  Buildings face streets, define their edges and encourage interaction with passing foot traffic,” he said.

The Ponds is located on a relatively flat site with moderately sloping topography straddling both sides of Second Ponds Creek.  A regenerated creek system runs down the spine of the development and all major streets offer views towards this creek and parklands system.    This enhances the aesthetic appeal of the area and links the residential streets with the natural environment.

The Ponds road grid provides a legible connected road network as well as multiple routes to access popular areas within the suburb. Internal residential streets have been designed to slow traffic speeds and create tranquil walkable streets.

The Ponds People Places Giveaway

The Ponds People Places Giveaway was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who registered as a member of People Places and discovered just what makes People Places.

Remember People Places is your community centre, notice board, local newspaper and much more all rolled into one convenient, always accessible site. It’s a place where people can twitter, share videos and photos or promote your favourite cause.

Make sure you drop by People Places and continue letting everyone know what you love about living in The Ponds. We have lots of prizes to giveaway throughout the year.

Congratulations to the following The Ponds residents Chantal Brenton, MinAi Tan-Acquah, Uditha Jayawardhane, Belinda Wheeler and Martin Yates, who each won a $50 Bunnings voucher.

Bollywood Ladies night out at The Ponds

Ladies, bring your friends, neighbours and/or family members and come and party at The Ponds.

Our Ladies Night Out will have a Bollywood theme, so wear a sari or book one (we have some you can borrow, but wearing one is not essential) and come ready for some great food, entertainment and fun.

The event is our version of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, an annual fundraiser for Cancer Council.

Entry is by tax deductible donation at the door. Bring some money for a raffle with great prizes. There will also be lucky door prizes. All money collected on the night will be donated to Cancer Council.

Bookings are essential.

WhenMay 18, 2011 7:00PM

WhereThe Ponds Sales & Display Centre
Riverbank Drive
THE PONDS SALES & DISPLAY CENTRE NSW 2769

Further InformationFor further information, please contact:
Name: Tuula
Phone: 02 9629 1212
Mobile: 0412 620 115
Email Address:

tuulas@theponds.com.au

Environment Workshop was a great night out

The Ponds was the place to be on 27th April for a very educational night out.

After a delicious dinner of salads, meats and pasties, the children retreated to watch a movie and the adults sat down for an interesting workshop with environmental officers, Zhan & Sujata, from Blacktown Council.

We learned about composting and worm farming, each household received a free compost and kitchen tidy bin and we went home inspired.  There were also lucky door prizes, the main prize being a worm farm, compliments of Blacktown Council.

Thank you to Blacktown Council for bringing the workshop to The Ponds and to the volunteers from NewHope Kellyville for keeping the children entertained.

Everyone enjoyed the presentation

Lucky door prize winners with presenters

Design Guidelines at The Ponds

The Ponds is an excellent example of first class sustainable design principles. Great design is no accident. It is a very deliberate process and the phenomenal success at The Ponds is a classic example of this.

Landcom’s seven design guidelines encourage designers, developers and regulators to think about what makes outstanding urban places and, just as importantly, how the pieces of that design jigsaw are put together. 

The guidelines focus first on the principles of good urban development and then, if necessary, explore design standards that, in Landcom’s experience, have helped deliver great developments. 

In this series of post for The Ponds Community we'll look at how each of the seven guidelines are applied to The Ponds.

People Places The Ponds GIVEAWAYS

To celebrate the launch of People Places we are giving away five $50 Bunnings vouchers to The Ponds residents. For information on how to be eligible to win, visit www.thepondcommunity.com.au, click on News and then the article “People Places Giveaways” for full instructions on what to do. Good luck!

BulletBus is now picking up passengers at Rouse Hill Town Centre

 

The BulletBus, a convenient, comfortable and fast way to get to the city or North Sydney at peak hour is now picking up passengers at Rouse Hill Town Centre.
Passengers are able to park in the car park running along Rouse Hill Drive and the buses pick up in the bus terminal about half way down.  Pick up times are 6.17am, 6.57am, 7.17am and 7.47am.
For enquiries, please contact BulletBus - see transport information.

Easter Fun at The Ponds

Come along to this after school event organised by The Ponds and the P & C.  The event includes afternoon tea, activities for the children including an Easter egg hunt and a visit form the Easter Bunny.
This event is a fundraiser for John Palmer Public School. A gold coin is charged for the activities.

Register your interest with Tuula

Phone: 02 9629 1212

Mobile: 0412 620 115

Email Address: tuulas@theponds.com.au

Summer Saturday Party a Great Place To Be

Summer Saturdays at The Ponds are well spent in good company, enjoying delicious food and a drink or two, as was discovered by all who attended our recent meet your neighbour event.  Children are always well provided for, with activities and treats.

These events are held every second month and all are welcome to attend. For the next get together, check out the events section on the Peopleplaces website.

Men's Shed

We are looking for expressions of interest for a Men's Shed in The Ponds. The Shed is a place for mature men to gather, make friends, share skills and contribute to the community. Interested?? Please contact Tuula.

Summer time Street Party Time

Many residents took up the offer of a $50 gift voucher towards a street party over the Christmas/Summer and parties were held.
What a great way to get to know your neighbours. Street Party vouchers are still available, please contact Tuula