THE OUTSTANDING URBAN FORM AND THE THOROUGH APPLICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES MADE ST BARTHOLOMEW’S LIME STREET PROJECT A STANDOUT IN WHAT WAS A VERY STRONG FIELD IN 2013
The UDIA President’s Award is the most prestigious in the UDIA Awards for Excellence. This year’s winner, which also picked up the Sustainable Urban Development Award, was notable because it is not a mainstream property developed for commercial return. The winner was St Bartholomew’s Lime Street Project which is an innovative new facility for the homeless which allows clients to move from crisis to transitional and eventually into long term accommodation whilst remaining part of the same community.
It is the first time in Australia a program of this kind, and a homeless facility of this complexity, has been attempted.
The Lime Street project is a result of the vision and passion of then St Bart’s CEO Lynne Evans. During her 15 years working with Perth’s homeless, Lynne observed how often homeless clients would thrive in St Bart’s care, “graduate” to smaller long term residencies out in the suburbs, and there, isolated from their new friends and support network, lapse into old habits and eventually end up back on the street. For Lynne, the cost of this standard model of homeless accommodation was unacceptably high, for both the individuals concerned, and the society that must continue to support them. Her answer is the innovative model of continual care offered by Lime Street.
The thoughtful design encourages and maximises interaction between residents wherever possible. The eight storey building overcomes the institutional feel by having no corridors; instead open, sun-lit walkways provide access. Residents can look down an internal street and see different areas within the facility removing the feeling of being closed in. The building also has an unusual east-west configuration, which prioritises sunlight for communal spaces ahead of private rooms, while also maximizing the cooling effect of Perth’s sea breeze.
The Lime Street Project incorporates a number of sustainability Initiatives including collection and reuse of stormwater to reticulate internal landscaped gardens, passive solar design to remove the need for air conditioning, access to a variety of public transport options, the use of wind turbines and photo-voltaic cells, and the incorporation of a number of small commercial ventures within the development. Whilst these features are outstanding, what really impressed the judges was the creation of an actual sustainable community within the Lime Street Project.
The incredible attention to detail, the outstanding urban form and the thorough application of environmental, economic and community sustainability principles made this development a standout in what was a very strong field in 2013.
View all the winners and finalists by clicking here.