Former prison to gain wind power

Age
Wednesday 11/2/2009 Page: 5

Wind energy will be harnessed to generate electricity in a $114 million apartment tower Valad Property Group is building in the once-infamous Pentridge Prison complex. The 259-unit development, known as Air apartments, will house four turbines on the top level of the 16-storey building, which has been shaped to capture and funnel Coburg's prevailing winds.

The German-engineered system is expected to generate 17,500 kW hours of electricity a year, or about 40% of the energy needed to power Air's common areas (excluding the lifts). It is the first tittle in Australia wind will be used to directly power a high-rise residential development, says architectural firm Rothelowman. "Air is taking ecologically sustainable design to a new level, going beyond conservation to actually finding ways to generate at least some of the energy a building requires," said managing principal Kim Lowman.

"But it isn't just creating power from a renewable source, it's also reducing the need to rely on greenhouse-producing energy from the grid." The turbines, which could run an energy-efficient light globe for 1 million hours, or the equivalent of 2.6 Australian homes for a year, will reduce the building's carbon dioxide output by 23,000 kilograms a year.

That is about 460,000 of those black balloons from the State Government ads. Other ecologically sustainable development initiatives include seeking a four-star Green Star design rating, a five-star FirstRate energy rating, rainwater harvesting, and a gas-boosted solar hot water system. Thermal chimneys will also use cross-ventilation to draw air through the building's corridors, allowing the building to "breathe".

"These kinds of ESD features snake a development a much more marketable product," Mr Lowman said. "Developers now want them because occupants and councils want them. It's a win for everyone." Air will occupy a 4600 sqm site enclosed by Victorian bluestone walls on the south-east corner of the former HM Pentridge Prison in Coburg, near the intersection of Pentridge Boulevard and Stockdale Avenue. Heritage Victoria said the walled compound held a 1980s-era inmate hospital that has since been demolished.

The tower will comprise a mixture of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments of 30 to 80 sqm, with prices estimated to start at $210,000 to $550,000. Valad said sales would begin soon and construction would likely start later this year. Valad and joint-venture partner Abadeen Group bought a 6.5-hectare portion of the Pentridge site for $42.5 million in 2007. The Pentridge Piazza project is expected to take 10 years to complete and will include 1200 residences and a retail precinct.

An application to build another 18-level apartment complex near the former B Division cell block is before Heritage Victoria.

Link www.valad.com.au