National diversified developer Fortis has officially launched Crest &amp; Walker, its latest Brisbane apartment development, with construction now underway on the 20-storey Newstead project.

Award-winning builder BINAH has commenced construction on the Bureau^Proberts-designed building, which will deliver a limited collection of 65 two and three-bedroom apartments on Kyabra Street.

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The project marks Fortis' fourth active residential development in Brisbane, following River House, which is nearing completion, alongside projects in New Farm and Hamilton as the national developer continues to expand its South East Queensland pipeline.

Fortis General Manager – Development Queensland Dan Boman said Crest &amp; Walker reflects the developer's long-term commitment to delivering design-led residential projects in Brisbane's established inner-city suburbs.

"We're proud to be strengthening our presence in Brisbane with Crest &amp; Walker, particularly in such a sought-after lifestyle destination as Newstead," Boman said.

"Every Fortis project is shaped by its context, and we approach each one with the respect and care it deserves.

"Our focus is always on creating places that feel connected to their neighbourhood and elevate the everyday experience for residents. Newstead continues to evolve as one of Brisbane's most sought-after urban communities, and Crest &amp; Walker reflects our ambition to contribute meaningfully to that story."

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Positioned between Gasworks Plaza and James Street, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/crest-walker-newstead-12-kyabra-street-newstead-qld-4006">Crest &amp; Walker</a> has been designed as a boutique residential address offering privacy and generous living spaces within one of Brisbane's most established lifestyle precincts.

The building features a contemporary brick podium softened by integrated landscaping, while the upper levels are characterised by restrained architecture and enduring materiality. Interiors have been designed to maximise natural light, acoustic performance and long-term liveability.

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Residences comprise spacious two and three-bedroom floorplans, with two-bedroom apartments priced from $1.55 million and three-bedroom, half-floor residences from $3.95 million.

Residents will have access to a wellness-focused rooftop featuring a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, landscaped dining spaces and outdoor lounge areas overlooking Newstead and the Brisbane CBD.

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Sales are being managed by Slaite Projects, with Fortis expecting strong demand from owner-occupiers seeking a high-quality, design-focused apartment in one of Brisbane's most tightly held inner-city suburbs.

Completion of Crest &amp; Walker is slated for late 2028.

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Joel Robinson

Fortis expands Brisbane pipeline with launch of Crest & Walker in Newstead

The enormity of delivering a true skyscraper in Australia's new development market is often overlooked.

It has taken the best part of a decade since plans for Chevron One were first unveiled, but the 52-storey tower is now complete, with residents collecting their keys and moving into what has become one of the Gold Coast's most recognisable new landmarks.

Rising 127 metres above Chevron Island, Chevron One stands almost twice as high as any other building on the island. Its scale places it alongside the trio of towers at Jewel, arguably the last truly significant addition to the central Gold Coast skyline when they were completed around six years ago.

While there are several developments underway around a similar height to Chevron One, they are more concentrated within clusters of the highest towers in the city. The fact Chevron One sits within a developing precinct, looking back at the other high-rise developments in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, makes it a different proposition altogether. It will certainly become a reference point on the Gold Coast skyline.

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Developer Bensons Property Group is behind the 52-storey tower, which has just shy of 250 apartments, along with an exhaustive list of resident amenity spread across what is the largest development site ever assembled on Chevron Island.

The tower has been the talk of the town for years, says Ray White Projects Gold Coast agent Caitlin Rosenboom, who is selling the remaining apartments.

"People have been watching Chevron One go up for years," Rosenboom says, adding that many prospective buyers have been surprised by the scale of the views once they step inside.

"It's only when they walk through a completed apartment that they truly understand the position of the building," Rosenboom says.

"The views are jaw-dropping. Whether you're looking east over the ocean, across Surfers Paradise, along the river systems or out to the hinterland, every level offers something different but equally impressive."

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One of Chevron One's defining advantages is its location on the eastern side of Chevron Island on Stanhill Drive, a position which protects the views forever.

"There's only one row of houses between Chevron One and the water, and the height restrictions along the river means views from Chevron One can never be built out,"&nbsp;Rosenboom says.

While new apartment developments continue to emerge across the Gold Coast, Rosenboom says opportunities to secure a completed apartment with this level of outlook are becoming increasingly rare.

"The size of the site is something that would be incredibly difficult to replicate today," she says.

"That's allowed Chevron One to deliver the sort of amenity, open space and resident facilities that very few projects can offer. There are not many completed apartment buildings on the Gold Coast right now that can compete with the combination of scale, quality and amenity."

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There's around 2,000 sqm of amenity solely for the use of residents of Chevron One. Club One features a uniquely shaped swimming pool that mirrors the footprint of the building itself, set within a extensively landscaped gardens. There's also an indoor pool and spa, a fully equipped gym with a Pilates room, a yoga garden, a bookable private dining area and lounge that can host up to 30 people, and a 24-hour concierge service.

As for the buyers, Rosenboom is fielding enquiry from everywhere: Sydneysiders and Melburnians looking at the new and off-the-plan market following the changes in the Federal Budget, as well as those looking to relocate, through to South East Queenslanders seeking either a permanent home or a weekender bolthole.

"The Gold Coast lifestyle continues to resonate with people relocating from the southern states, and when they see the views and the quality of what's been delivered at Chevron One, it becomes very easy for them to understand the appeal," Rosenboom says.

A diverse mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments remain available, with each offering "something a little different", be it the orientation and views, configuration, or level, to suit a wide variety of buyers.

The remaining apartments are ready to inspect in person, by appointment.

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A decade in the making: Residents to move into Chevron One as construction wraps up

A general rule of thumb in new apartment developments is that the penthouses get the rooftop.

It's a formula that's become commonplace across Australia's apartment market. Residents might have access to a pool, gym or barbecue facilities on a dedicated lower level, but the most desirable outdoor spaces are typically reserved for the highest-priced homes at the top of the building.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherpa-property-group">Sherpa Property Group</a> has taken the opposite approach.

Rather than dedicating the rooftop to a handful of buyers, the Gold Coast developer has made it the centrepiece of its Flourish collection, creating expansive shared spaces from the best vantage point in the building.

The philosophy has reached its most ambitious expression at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-soleira-palm-beach-1150-1160-gold-coast-highway-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Soleira</a> in Palm Beach, where two rooftop precincts connected by a skybridge will deliver one of the most extensive lifestyle offerings seen in a residential apartment project on the Gold Coast.

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"We're seeing a clear move toward developments that offer more than just an apartment," Sherpa Group founder Christie Leet said.

"People want spaces that support how they actually live, whether that's working from home, staying active, or spending time with family and friends.

"That's where amenity becomes critical. It's not just about what's included, but how those spaces are designed to be used every day."

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The breadth of amenity has already attracted buyers across multiple demographics. Younger first home buyers have been drawn to Soleira's one-bedroom apartments, a product rarely delivered in Palm Beach, while families have responded to practical inclusions such as the shallow children's pool adjoining the main lap pool and the extensive communal recreation areas.

Instead of a single rooftop, Soleira delivers two distinct lifestyle zones.

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The southern rooftop has been dedicated to wellness, featuring a gym, yoga and Pilates studio, work-from-home facilities, a wellness centre, spa, and hot and cold plunge pools.

The northern rooftop focuses on recreation and entertaining, incorporating a heated resort-style pool, private dining rooms, pizza ovens, barbecues, a golf simulator, children's recreation areas, and what is expected to be the Gold Coast's first rooftop basketball court, which will also double as a squash court.

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Beyond the rooftops, Soleira will introduce 1,500 sqm of curated retail beneath the towers, creating one of Palm Beach's first genuinely mixed-use lifestyle precincts where cafés, restaurants and convenience retail become part of residents' everyday lives.

Sherpa has also retained management rights across the development, allowing it to oversee the long-term operation of the building through a 24-hour concierge model. The developer is also exploring additional revenue streams within the precinct aimed at helping offset ongoing body corporate costs for residents.

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While Soleira is the largest project Sherpa has delivered, the rooftop-first philosophy has been evolving for several years.

It began with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/amargo-6-12-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Amargo</a>, the first project released under the Flourish brand. Rather than competing at the ultra-luxury end of the market with oversized half-floor and full-floor residences, Sherpa focused on creating lifestyle-driven apartments supported by resort-style shared spaces.

Amargo introduced more than 800 sqm of rooftop amenity, combining wellness facilities, heated pools, entertaining areas, cabanas, pizza ovens and private dining spaces into what was designed as an extension of residents' homes rather than a facility used only occasionally.

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That approach continued with Flourish Oasis, where the same amenity-led philosophy was refined into a more boutique development. Strong demand from Sherpa's growing VIP database saw much of the project sold before it reached the broader market, reinforcing buyer appetite for apartment communities centred around shared lifestyle experiences.

Flourish Amargo is slated for completion mid-way-through next year, with Oasis to be delivered by late 2027. Flourish Soleira is expected to complete in 2030.

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Sherpa takes amenity to the sky as Flourish Soleira captures booming Palm Beach demand

As apartment living continues to evolve across Sydney's growth corridors, the quality and distribution of shared spaces is increasingly shaping how residents experience home. Rather than functioning as add-ons, amenities are being embedded into the daily rhythm of a building, supporting everything from quiet retreat to social interaction, often within a single vertical community.

At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/aeris-melrose-park-nursery-street-melrose-park-nsw-2114">Aeris</a> in Melrose Park, this approach is resolved through a layered amenity offering that unfolds from ground level through to its upper podium. Developed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sekisui-house-australia">Sekisui House Australia</a> in partnership with Hankyu Hanshin Properties, the project introduces 468 apartments across two towers and a mid-rise building, positioned at the highest point of the broader masterplan.

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The amenity experience begins at street level, where two courtyards sit within a landscaped setting that connects residents to the wider network of parks and green spaces. These green spaces are not isolated pockets but part of a wider pedestrian network that links Aeris to the surrounding <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/melrose-park-nsw-2114">Melrose Park</a> precinct, including Central Park, future schools, and the Town Centre opening in July 2026. The result is a transition that moves from public to private without abrupt boundaries, allowing residents to pass through shaded, tree-lined environments before reaching the building itself.

Moving upward, the focus shifts to the level five podium, where the primary communal facilities are concentrated. This space brings together a 16-metre swimming pool, outdoor seating areas, and a communal BBQ zone arranged to take advantage of elevated outlooks. Seating is positioned beneath pergolas, creating pockets of shade that extend the usability of the space throughout the day. The pool edge aligns with views toward the wider district, reinforcing the sense of elevation that defines the project’s positioning.

In the adjacent building, this is complemented by quieter, more contemplative spaces, including an outdoor cinema set within the same level. Positioned to operate primarily in the evening, it introduces a different tempo to the shared environment, shifting from daytime activity to after-hours use without requiring separate zones.

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The podium also accommodates an intimate private resident gym. Located on the lower levels, it gives residents convenient access to fitness facilities without leaving the building.

Above, the elevated podium sky deck extends the amenity offering, providing additional open-air spaces with elevated outlooks across the surrounding landscape. While more restrained in program, this upper level reinforces the project’s vertical progression, from ground-level greenery to elevated outlook, allowing residents to move between distinct spatial conditions within a single address.

This distribution of amenities reflects a deliberate response to how residents use space across the day. Sekisui House Australia Sales and Marketing Director Peter Kalaf points to the role these shared areas play in shaping buyer demand. Aeris has been conceived as more than a collection of apartments, with the podium pool, gym and outdoor cinema forming part of a broader lifestyle offering that extends the home beyond each individual residence.

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What distinguishes Aeris is not the inclusion of these elements individually, but how they are arranged in relation to one another. Active, social, and passive spaces are layered vertically rather than separated, allowing residents to choose between them without leaving the building or moving far from their apartment. This proximity supports both routine use, such as a morning swim or evening workout, and more occasional gatherings, whether around the BBQ area or within the cinema setting.

The amenity design also sits within a broader framework of connectivity across Melrose Park. The Melrose Park Town Centre, anchored by Coles and Dan Murphys, features a mix of retail, dining, health and lifestyle offerings, bringing everyday convenience closer to residents. By the end of the year, more than five hectares of parks and open space, equivalent to around seven football fields of green space on residents' doorstep, will further enhance the precinct, allowing the internal facilities at Aeris to operate as an extension of the wider neighbourhood rather than a substitute for it.

Construction at Aeris continues to gather momentum, with ground floor slabs expected to be completed in late 2026 before the first sections of the buildings begin to rise above ground.

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Elevated amenity anchors daily life at Aeris, Melrose Park

Repeat buyers are one of the strongest measures of confidence in any apartment development.

At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/era-newcastle-west-124-126-bull-street-newcastle-west-nsw-2302">ERA</a> in Newcastle West, some purchasers are returning to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gwh">GWH</a> after living at the developer's One Apartments. Their decision to purchase again was driven by the quality of life they found after moving into their first GWH home.

Keith Wilton had spent years living in a house in East Maitland before deciding it was time for a change. Apartment living had always been on his radar, but he was selective about what he wanted.

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"I had some boxes I wanted to tick," he says.

Keith points to the open-plan design, generous outdoor areas and considered inclusions as key reasons One Apartments worked for him.

“One of those things was a nice indoor open plan area, but also I wanted a nice outdoor open area that I could entertain on in summer or Christmases or birthdays,” he says.

He also found value in the smaller details, from integrated appliances to shared resident spaces including the pool, cinema and rooftop areas.

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After comparing several developments, he chose One Apartments because of GWH's longstanding local reputation and his own experience working with the developer on a commercial project more than a decade earlier.

"I knew that they were local, that the quality of the build was going to be up there. I'd looked at other apartment complexes around and close by, and I just knew that here was a better decision location wise."

Today, Keith says the move has completely changed how he experiences Newcastle.

"I enjoy living in this location because it's more of a lifestyle change. That Newcastle city living where you can walk to restaurants and bars and even beaches and parks and even shopping across the road."

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Beyond the location, he says it's the sense of community that has surprised him most.

"Everyone loves living here because they chose to live here, but everyone looks out for each other. It's a real great community feel here."

For Aimee and Lyle Goodman, the journey started almost by chance.

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The couple happened to be having coffee in Newcastle when they noticed the site where One Apartments was about to begin construction.

"We were aware GWH was planning a development," Aimee says. "We made one phone call and things moved pretty quickly after that."

As busy business owners, they initially thought apartment living would simply reduce the maintenance that came with larger homes. Instead, it fundamentally changed how they spent time together.

"We actually catch up more as a family now," Aimee says.

"We've had homes with big yards and lots of space, but everyone ended up in different rooms. Here we'll have dinner together, the kids can play, and we spend far more quality time together."

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Lyle says their confidence came from GWH's reputation within Newcastle's building industry.

"I know people who've worked across different apartment projects, and whenever GWH came up the feedback was always the same. They're rock solid. They're quality."

That confidence only grew throughout the buying process.

"One of the things that really impressed us with GWH was the whole process, was the communication," Lyle says. "It was consistent, it was regular, there was no problem if we had some weird questions, there was no problems in getting answers."

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Aimee says one moment stood out.

"The project actually finished on time. We realised we needed to hurry up and sell our house because everything was happening exactly when they said it would."

The positive experience at One Apartments ultimately gave all three buyers the confidence to purchase again with GWH, this time at ERA.

Their confidence reflects what many buyers are seeking in today's apartment market. Location remains important, but so too does certainty around delivery, quality and long-term liveability.

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ERA builds on those foundations with 280 one, two and three-bedroom apartments across two landmark towers in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/newcastle-west-nsw-2302">Newcastle West</a>.&nbsp;

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fk-australia">Fender Katsalidis</a>, the project will include more than 2,000 square metres of resident amenities, including a resort-style pool, gym, sauna, private cinema and rooftop entertaining spaces overlooking the harbour and coastline.&nbsp;

The development is also within walking distance of the Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Darby Street, the harbour foreshore, restaurants, retail and the city’s beaches, continuing the walkable lifestyle that existing GWH buyers say has transformed how they live.

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For Keith, the appeal remains straightforward.

"You feel at home even before you've moved into your home."

For Aimee, the change is measured in time.

“I just felt like I had more time,” she says.

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Construction at ERA is now underway, with more than half of the residences already sold and limited two and three-bedroom apartments remaining in the East Tower release. Priced from $980,000 for two-bedroom residences and $1.46 million for three-bedroom residences, buyers can secure an apartment with a 10 per cent deposit, with premium homes offering ocean views from Level 8 and harbour views from Level 10.

ERA is also backed by Resilience Insurance's 10-year Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing protection against structural or waterproofing defects for 10 years after completion. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2028.

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From ONE to ERA: Why buyers are choosing GWH again in Newcastle West

Andrew Hoyne

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Urban.com.au caught up with Andrew Hoyne, Author of The Place Economy and Founding Principal of branding agency Hoyne, to discuss how effective placemaking approaches can result in significant social and economic benefits long-term.

Urban.com.au: Thank you Andrew for taking the time to chat with me today. The concept of ‘placemaking’ is a fascinating one, and I could imagine that without a precursor, people could quickly develop their own meaning of the term. How do you describe the essence of ‘placemaking’?

Andrew Hoyne: The essence of placemaking is about creating great experiences for people. Placemaking is the curation and creation of the hard and soft experiences, that ensure people are magnetically drawn to a space. Both built form and space activation. By stimulating positive experiences, you make a place destinational. It’s about how you give real meaning and purpose to a place, that compels people to care, engage and repeatedly visit. You need to begin by analysing community’s unique needs. So you must ask what already exists and what is missing. It’s the consideration of all the elements that work together to create a compelling destination: planning, architecture, materiality, green space, amenity, infrastructure, art and cultural connections. So good placemaking begins and ends by considering people who will use and inhabit a space. Good placemaking results in better social and economic outcomes for everyone.

U: In this video, you mention that the goal is to plan out 10-30 years ahead. Given the fluidity and uncertainty of the property market, what is your strategy for future development planning? 

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AH: In the context of that quote I’m actually talking about place or city branding, rather than property development. Today it is vital that cities think 20-30 years ahead if they want to ensure that their city remains competitive with an edge on their rivals. We’ve seen this already with cities like Berlin, Dublin, Copenhagen and London; they’ve all shown how a compelling place brand can future-proof your city, ensuring its success, and the success of its residents for decades to come. But a place brand does have a direct impact on the development industry; it will inform the vision for the future of the city and as a result dictate how it evolves and grows. So it’s really important to have that long term plan in place to ensure the built environment is bringing an agreed vision to life. The great thing with a strong place brand is that it functions like magnetic north for a city; you may get slightly blown off course by say a downturn in the property market, but you always have this set of guiding principles to realign to. This ensures you’re working towards that end goal of what the city will one day become and not floundering and changing tack with every economic bump. So to a certain extent the core principles of the place brand should be driving the market, rather than the other way around.

U: Do you feel as though developers and town planners have an element of control over shaping the future of our cities? Or do they evolve more organically?

AH: Today developers and planners, along with architects and government, do indeed have the great privilege and the responsibility of shaping the future of our cities. That’s why it’s so vital they begin the development process with a strong Place Vision in place. A Place Visioning TM process creates a blueprint that guides and shapes a space, regardless of size. Resolving this early, before you’ve even begun to talk about built form, is fundamental to successfully identifying anchors and establishing the ‘magnets’ (amenity; public realm; retail; F&amp;B) that will attract people to a place, precinct or city. Done well it mitigates risk and results in developments and cities that are socially and economically successful.

U: One of the core aims of ‘placemaking’ is to create more meaningful spaces. What design features can you add to a space to create a more meaningful experience for its users?

AH: There is no set list of features, but there is a design thinking framework you can use to create meaningful spaces. This begins with getting boots on the ground and finding out what makes a place tick. Visit the suburb or site, talk to the locals, sit in the cafes and then ask “what role can this development fulfil in this community?”. You then need to either understand your multi-faceted target audience, or define it. Once you’re clear on your various ‘tribes’, compare their needs and desires to the experience gaps for that location. Once you clearly understand your audience, and have a sense of the experience gaps, it’s time to build the business case and articulate the Place Vison. You then start by bringing the vision to life through early activation so assets and experiences grow from an early phase, rather than waiting for completion and pulling the fence down, so to speak. This is a great way to engage the community from the get go. Finally, you need to follow through and maintain engagement through careful curation, activation and stakeholder management.

U: Which of Australia’s key suburbs do you think have the strongest sense of community and how do you think other areas can mirror their success?

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/surry_hills_photo_by_by_ali_nasseri_courtesy_of_the_place_economy.jpeg" rel="gallery-all" title="Credit: Ali Nasseri, courtesy of The Place Economy"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/s3/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/surry_hills_photo_by_by_ali_nasseri_courtesy_of_the_place_economy.jpeg?itok=NqTb-DxS" title="Credit: Ali Nasseri, courtesy of The Place Economy" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Credit: Ali Nasseri, courtesy of The Place Economy</figcaption></figure>AH: I'm lucky enough to live in Surry Hills which I think has a phenomenal sense of community. Less than 15 years ago, the broader population thought Surry Hills was “too dirty and too dangerous” but over the last decade it’s become so famous it was listed as one of the top 30 places in the world to live. To this day it has an incredibly creative energy that has spawned the birth of famous businesses and experiences. It’s got great schools, restaurants, bars and shops; public transport is phenomenal, and everything is walkable. Ultimately it's suburbs like Surry Hills that give Sydney it’s village character. While I think it’s very unwise to suggest other suburbs try to replicate Surry Hills, I think other areas can mirror its success by developing, elevating and promoting their own unique DNA – that makes it a great place for their locals. It all comes back to people and my view is that if you create experiences that fulfil the needs of the community it will always be a success. Surry Hills supports its local community first and foremost in nearly everything it does, and that in my view is how to succeed. 

U: What was the process before ‘placemaking’ and how do you feel the concept is changing industry norms? Is there scope for developers and investors to reach a higher ROI if they follow your planning approach?

AH: Placemaking has been around since the 1960’s, although it’s been through lots of change. Up until recently, most people working in the space were focussed single mindedly on creating community oriented spaces. There was no real consideration for economic benefit, and in fact many were appalled at the idea of any form of commercialisation. However, our strong view has always been that someone has to pay for the upkeep, maintenance, constant improvement, activation and evolution over time. It’s rare that federal, state or local governments have this perspective which means that good intentions often result in spaces that degrade over time. A commercial approach ensures spaces are taken care of and loved, so people keep coming back. It’s benefiting the industry enormously because it has given us a way of creating socially and economically successful places, that meet the needs of the community, and ensure increased upside for developers and investors. This philosophy underpins everything we do: if you deliver a superior solution for the community, you generate stronger financial returns. One of my favourite developments of the moment is Industry City in Brooklyn, which is a great example of all this. It’s actually a commercial precinct that was aimed at the innovation economy but it’s been so perfectly curated with such a great mix of all these elements that it’s become a magnet and people visit from all over the world. Because of this success the average property price in the neighbourhood in which the development sits, Sunset Park, has risen by 43 per cent since the third quarter of 2014. And the price per square foot has risen to an all-time high level of growth which far outstrips wider Brooklyn. Lonely Planet has now named Sunset Park among the world’s 10 “coolest neighbourhoods”. This is an example of being rewarded for delivering what the market wants. This approach also mitigates risk. Traditionally, mitigating risk meant doing the same thing you had always done, because you knew that it made money. These days this is the riskiest thing you can do because it will not capture the attention of a more sophisticated market with increasingly higher expectations. No one will line up, pay a premium, or celebrate the arrival of another cookie-cutter development, which doesn’t address the needs of a community or provide tangible societal benefits. The only way to mitigate risk is to ask ourselves: ‘What is it we can do to make these communities stronger and more enjoyable?’, ‘What is missing and how can our development provide that?’. If you do this and create a compelling solution that exceeds people’s expectations, you will ensure stronger sales and returns than the rest of the industry. A great thinker Alan Fletcher once said “Fish are the last to recognize water.” I fear the same can be true in development. We need to break out of the old way of doing things, to create more engaging outcomes for communities and businesses. So creating magnetic destinations is mandatory to ensure a place has competitive advantage, whether it’s a mixed use precinct, or an entire city. 

U: Your place and property agency Hoyne strives to deliver ‘Brave not beige’ campaigns. What’s been your bravest (or favourite) campaign yet?

AH: One of our bravest campaigns has been Wonderland, the final release at Central Park for Frasers Property. Rather than presenting traditional property clichés the campaign identity took its creative cues from the world of retail which was a really unusual and daring approach. When we were looking at Central Park as a precinct, with it’s incredible mix of heritage and modern architecture, laneways, bars and restaurants that draw you into explore, it struck us that living there is like living in a modern day wonderland. So we brought the precinct and the development to life through a contemporary take on Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. A combination of CGI and photography was used to create these cool visual montages, unlike anything else in the Australian property marketplace – they fully embraced the journey and the storytelling experience. It was a bold move and there were a lot of raised eyebrows at the start but Frasers were incredible and gave it their full support. And it paid off; the results were phenomenal with 1,700 enquiries before launch and $140million worth of sales at launch, before a complete sell-out. But great solutions are always achieved by real collaboration. And as Ken Blanchard famously said “None of us is as smart as all of us.” 

U: In a perfect world, what would your dream suburb/precinct look like?

AH: My dream suburb or precinct would have great experiences for people of all ages. From kids, adults and the aged. It would have a unique sense of character and community. It would make the most of the area’s history and heritage. There would be great bars and awesome restaurants. It would have beautiful green spaces where people could hang out, and kids could ride their bikes. There’d be great public transport links. People would be able to walk their kids to school in the mornings. Everyone would walk to work. It would facilitate improved outcomes for business, innovation and creativity. And there would be something unexpected there, which you couldn’t find anywhere else. It could be built form, it could be art, or it could be a service. But it would be the central thing the space would become famous for.  

U: Lastly, with the effects of climate change requiring critical attention, what do you believe is the best response to aid in alleviating the problem when it comes to developing our cities?

AH: As the futurist Peter Ellyard said to me “sustainability means creating zero net collateral harm”. In fact, he said this can be applied to personal relationships, health, design, and actions by government. Or as Peter summed up, “The decisions I make, and the things I do, do not hurt you”. The best way for development to mitigate our environmental impact is to create built form that has meaningful legacy and longevity. I believe we also need to think more creatively about how we use old buildings, rather than reducing them to a pile of rubble if they don’t instantly suit the need of the moment. I love the quote by Stephanie Meeks (CEO and President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation), that “the greenest building, is the one which is already built”. Her team at the National Trust in the USA have mapped historic and new buildings in 50 cities around the world to see how individual blocks performed. They actually discovered that blocks which have a mix of old and new buildings have more small businesses, more women-and minority-owned businesses, are denser and have more affordable housing units. I also think that old buildings make great incubators for small business because they provide flexible spaces that help these businesses prosper. So preservation makes social, economic and environmental sense.
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Andrew Hoyne

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