The White Gum Valley (WGV) development is a 2.3ha medium-density infill development located approximately 3 km inland from Fremantle in Western Australia.
Once all stages are completed, the development will include more than 80 residential dwellings with a range of building typologies: with detached housing around the perimeter, and increasing density towards the middle of the development, where there is group housing, including the sustainable housing for artists and creatives project.
Sustainable outcomes for the site have been driven under the One Planet Living (OPL) Framework, a sustainability assessment framework which was being applied to a development site for the first time in Western Australia. LandCorp developed design guidelines for single residential lots built in the development, that include development controls for water use efficiency, alternative water supply and greywater.
Water sensitive urban design features of the site include:
- A 2 megalitre landscaped infiltration basin, converted to onsite retention system basin incorporating a community landscape, providing amenity, habitat and canopy cover
- Home water use efficient devices driving an expected 60-70% reduction in potable water use compared with the average Perth household.
- Alternative water sources are supplied for open space irrigation, garden irrigation (groundwater) and indoor toilet and laundry use (rainwater).
- Four trial street trees incorporated passive infiltration from road runoff
- Real-time monitoring of household water use will promote understanding of water use patterns and assist in future learning.
- Communities buy in to sustainability features on-site through compliance with design guidelines and incentivised investment in water and energy measures for their home, including a 3,000L rainwater tank plumbed for multiple indoor uses.
This article has been adapted from the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities White Gum Valley Case Study. Watch Density x design’s video about White Gum Valley’s water sensitive urban design (12:24).
