Sustainable living taken to the next level

Posted on 25 February, 2025

If you’re looking to reduce your environmental footprint, a new era of architecturally-designed, smart, electric, climate-resilient and energy-efficient homes is emerging in North Wright.

And you’re invited to come inside and take a look around.

In a ground-breaking new project, the Suburban Land Agency (SLA) is building and selling 43 separately titled, architecturally-designed homes in North Wright.

Each home will showcase sustainable living with a compact floorplan and big lifestyle benefits, set within a fully landscaped, climate-wise precinct designed specifically to bring people together.

A first of its kind for the SLA, the North Wright Sustainable Precinct offers sustainable and innovative house and land opportunities.

Setting a new benchmark for community-focused and small-footprint homes, the precinct demonstrates smart two- and three-bedroom home designs across six architecturally-designed floorplans.  With up to 8.9 Energy Efficiency Rating, airtight construction and its own electricity generation, these homes will be cost-efficient to heat and cool, and are built with the aim of achieving a net zero carbon footprint over their life. Separate titling means that there are no body corporate fees.

They also adhere to flexible adaptation and with “room to grow” in mind, meaning homes have adaptable floorplans for various uses and future extensions, and there’s space for gardens, play areas, and community activities.

The development is opening two display homes for Stage 1 to allow the public to engage with and learn more about how living in this precinct connects you with neighbours and nature and how it saves you money over time – as well as the house and land opportunities available.

Petra Oswald, SLA’s Built Form Program Manager, has worked across Australia and Europe, leading teams in urban development and placemaking.

She says the design process had been based not only on best environmental practice and future-proofing each dwelling but also done in consultation with community members and First Nations design advisors.

“One of the loveliest parts of the design journey was the stakeholder engagement and creating a community precinct which is informed by real people and First Nations experts in regenerative landscape design so that we have embedded connection to country.”

Petra says the project is a rare opportunity for Canberrans to purchase a cost-efficient turn-key sustainable home, which is climate resilient and connected to community.

In Stage 1, all homes are all-electric, have double glazed windows, heat recovery ventilation systems, have high thermal performance, 5-6 kw rooftop solar and are fully landscaped with connection to communal spaces and landscape features.

“SLA is demonstrating what can be achieved in a compact block, where houses have a small footprint but opportunities to transform as needs change, such as the easy addition of extra bedrooms over time. The focus on green spaces includes features such as seasonal courtyard gardens, green laneways, carports doubling as al fresco areas and plenty of green spaces for communal garden initiatives and nature play.”

The two display homes open in late February, with prospective owners – and any Canberrans curious about the future of sustainable living – invited to come and take a tour.

“Not all the features and the ways in which we have factored in sustainability to this project are immediately visible; for instance, you can’t see air tightness, but you can see it in your reduced energy consumption and bills once you are living there. I would encourage anyone interested in new ways of living to come see for themselves. Our display homes also show sustainable furnishing options with some stunning vintage pieces, especially for the mid-century-modern design enthusiasts.”

 Photos by Inklab.