November Newsletter

MULLUM CREEK RESIDENTS NEWS UPDATE

Construction Update

Boxing of the roads in Stage 1 at Mullum Creek is well underway. This involves removing about 40cm of ground along the roadway, and then laying the road foundations. The materials used at Mullum Creek are as environmentally sensitive as possible, consistent with providing high quality and long lasting roads. They include recycled concrete and warm mix asphalt. The boxing of the road next to the large Candlebark feature tree near the future wetland area was carefully completed under the supervision of a fully qualified arborist.

Water main and gas pipeline construction is set to begin in 2-3 weeks and will closely follow the ‘boxed out’ sections of road.

Another exciting milestone just around the corner is the upcoming commencement of the wetland construction. We expect this to start over the next week or so.

DRC News

Incentives Packages Revamped

As of November the Mullum Creek Design Review Committee (DRC) has reopened and is happy to be accepting applications for review. Please be sure to check the Data Room of the Mullum Creek website for important and recently updated information about:

Applications for design review (checklists of information required).
Building and landscape design incentives (guides and forms).
Environmentally sensitive building materials (selection principles and product lists).
The $15,000 Design and ESD incentives packages offered to lot owners by Mullum Creek have been revamped. The changes are:

The house design and landscape component of Incentive 1 have been separated.
Additional architects and building designers have been included in our list of recommended design professionals. Their details will be added to the website in the coming weeks.
Environmentally sensitive design (ESD) advice and assistance is now available for all lot owners, encouraged as part of the DRC support and review process.
The thermal performance (AccuRate) assessment has been modified to work in better with the revised DRC Step 1 and Step 2 review process, and is now available to all lot owners.
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) incentive is now available as an ongoing support package rather than a one-off computer program assessment. It is also now available to all lot owners.
You can find the new incentives packages here.

If you have any queries regarding the recent changes or problems accessing the Data Room, please do not hesitate to contact the DRC office on 03 9480 0605.

Sloping Sites

The development of Stage 1 is well underway, and has produced really innovative house designs that work beautifully with the intricate contours of the land. However, during this process we have identified that the lots with steeper slopes may encounter some problems in the design process, in particular with crossovers, driveways and placement of garages. Before you start designing we strongly encourage you to arrange a meeting with the DRC to discuss driveway alternatives to ensure that your early design work meets the Mullum Creek Design Guidelines.

House Designs

Thank you to Vonne Yang of Habitech Systems and the owners of lot 54 for sharing the thinking behind their design and modular building system

When we first started talking to our clients, Suzanna and Luc, it became clear that they were passionate about architecture and sustainability. They chose Habitech because of the thermal performance our highly insulated and air sealed modular building fabric guarantees. It is also fast and simple to construct. As they explained, “We want to build a quality, architecturally appealing, energy efficient home.”

The design concept for the house developed from the site’s north facing topography, with views towards the creek and the nature reserve to the north-east. The north-western street frontage gives a low-lying simple form on approach, providing a level of privacy for the occupants, while projecting off the slope to the north. The house is entered between two simple forms, which go on to define a strong circulation path throughout the building. This path cranks to the north to maximise passive solar performance along the galleried living spaces, before coming to an end in front of a large east-facing window facing across Mullum Creek. The floor level steps down with the site whilst the ceiling remains high, opening up the rear of the house to the sky and garden and revealing more striking views of the property.

The home’s external areas give the owners seasonal choices. A raised deck on the northern side overlooks the lap pool and receives broad winter sun, while a sunken southern courtyard opens straight from the kitchen and dining area, for shaded summer barbeques. The energy efficient systems and rooftop photovoltaic array add to the high thermal performance of the Habitech fabric to provide low energy comfort to all spaces of the house. And the low impact external finishes will blend with the natural environment for many years to come. While our clients were initially focused on the performance of their home, we think we have been successful in providing a home that will inspire them to live in this community conceived by such enlightened developers seeking to build a model of sustainable living to which we can all aspire.

Habitech Systems
Tel: 03) 9419 9436
www.habitechsystems.com.au
Community & Events

Boyd: Beyond the Edges

Robin Boyd Foundation – Open House Event
Date: 6 December 2015
For details: Click here

Warm regards,
Mullum Creek Team

There are places you remember. Mullum Creek is a place you’ll never forget.

0477 006 925
info@mullumcreek.com.au
www.mullumcreek.com.au