In August 2023, the ambitious sustainability vision for Lewis Land’s latest mixed-use residential development was achieved. Harbour Shores, located in Queensland, Australia, is Lewis Land’s first fossil-fuel free, resort-style residential community and was granted a 6 Star Green Star Communities v1.1 rating. Lewis Land utilised dsquared Consulting throughout the planning and design process to maximise sustainability outcomes ensure the project is built to stand the test of time for generations to come
Lewis Land is committed to a 100% electric development with no natural gas usage within any operational energy. A typical development of this scale would use 14,762,367MJ of natural gas, so eliminating this entirely is an impressive feat with a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This means residents will avoid pollutants from cooking or heating and experience high quality, clean air.
Remarkably, building a fossil fuel free system had no significant sizing impacts on the electrical substations. The variable timing of when people use hot water and induction cooktops means electrical infrastructure modelling isn’t impacted in any significant way.”
Paul Davy, Director, dsquared Consulting
To support the transition to low emission transport, a network of footpaths and cycling infrastructure has been included in the plan to encourage active and sustainable movement. Up to 75% of parking in the plan will be allocated for electric vehicle charging stations placed throughout the precinct. The load management system within the basement will control charging distribution and allocate energy in a dynamic fashion, meaning vehicles will only use spare electricity from the building and anything more will reduce the supply to the chargers.
In the future, these chargers will also be available within the private building car parks, and tenants may receive credit back from their energy retailer if they minimise their energy use.
Leveraging the benefits of the “sunshine state”, the precinct has the capacity to hold over 1,000kW of solar PV energy which will generate over 1,642,500kWh of sustainable energy per year and save more than 900,000kg CO2-e on average, year. Solar panels will be deployed on the rooftops of each building, reducing energy demand and bills. It is predicted the project will achieve a 34% reduction in peak electricity consumption compared to a contemporary reference development. This will help reduce community wide loads during peak times, such as mornings and evenings, when residents are at home and using appliances.