Park Street

Park street isn’t just about 17 beautiful homes, it’s about showing the market that there is financial elegance in radical reuse.
The design process honoured the heritage of Park Street whilst responding to our 21st century climate crisis. This lens was applied when any new materials, fittings or fixtures were required.For example the vinyl flooring inside each apartment was replaced with natural carbon-positive cork and the carpet was updated to 100% wool carpet which is biodegradable and recyclable.

We made incisions to the concrete car park and transformed this central spine into a communal space flourishing with life; biodiversity, canopy trees and importantly places for people to stop, connect and gather.
However, sometimes the most important things are the things we cannot see and at Park Street it’s the electrification, it’s the renewable energy, it’s the carbon story. By electrifying all mechanical systems and providing 100% green renewable energy via Momentum, Park Street provides a cleaner environment for all residents going forward.

The project was about building less to give more. It was about looking back to look forward. To take design cues from the existing building, to lean into that and to create homes with authenticity and delight and importantly to create homes that tread lightly on the planet.

The only way to a zero future is radical re-use. We can’t just demolish the 2.5 million homes we have in Melbourne, throw all that carbon away and start again. We have to harness every building we can, every bit of existing carbon, and we have to find a way to do it, built with love, and to do it at scale.

Park Street is about doing a lot with a little. It’s about pausing and taking the time to see the beauty, the opportunity and the energy that still exists in long forgotten parts of our city. It’s about turning weaknesses into strengths and it’s about the human experience. Returning to a time where we live as a community.

For decades Park Street existed as a Motel, a place for strangers to stare at each other across a concrete car park.

Where there were once cars, we’ve inserted life. Biodiversity, canopy trees and importantly places for people to stop, connect and gather. Shared dining spaces, shared laundries and shared bike parking.

Park Street is the exploration of a different type of development model, one that retrofits buildings otherwise at the end of their practical life and tailors them to meet the needs of today’s renters. This innovative initiative emerged as a response to address the high carbon footprint of new builds and respond to the current rental housing shortage in Melbourne.

With our ‘build less, give more’ philosophy, the innovation was about doing a lot with a little and about turning weaknesses into strengths. A light touch approach to the renovation not only honours its heritage but at the same time diverts tonnes of construction waste from landfill and supports a circular economy by discouraging excess production and consumption.

We solved operational carbon in two bold, strategic steps:
1. 100% Electric (we removed gas appliances and connections and electrified everything.)
2. 100% Renewables. Millieu worked closely with renewable energy supplier, Momentum to provide 100% certified GreenPower at a discounted rate to all residents.

The apartments were transformed with a considered spatial fine tuning and an application of low carbon materials. The natural cork, carbon positive flooring honours this heritage while responding to our 21st century climate crisis.

We spoke with and established ties with neighbours to ensure that we were able to maintain positive and open communication with the direct community.

Cultural groups were not directly engaged on this project however, a respect for Wurundjeri Country is painted onsite in a clearly visible location. Milieu and Breathe are committed to working towards Indigenous recognition and awareness via our certified Reconciliation Action Plans. We recognise that property development and Indigenous land rights are an uncommon and often contentious pairing and we look to acknowledge, educate, reconcile, empower and recognise where we can.

“In short, everyone is so nice to one another. There are a lot of “Hellos!” and chats, even outside the property well down the street. This is a true reflection of the people and space in which they live. It’s no surprise my neighbours fell in love with Park Street because of the authentic Mid-Century architecture, and they will continue to live here for as long as possible because of their community.” — Jason, Park Street Resident

Park Street shows design excellence through its innovative approach to sustainability and adaptive reuse.

We took this once proud but now abandoned 1970’s motel. We looked at its quirks as strengths, at its form as opportunity, at its materiality as a nostalgic foundation to build upon.

We kept the carbon intensive concrete, bricks and we kept the bathroom tiles. We undertook a detailed audit of everything in the building including kitchen sinks and furniture to work out what could be saved and what could be re-used. We made the decision to retain as many original materials including concrete, bricks and tiles which not only preserved the original character but diverted carbon-intensive waste from landfill.

We reduced the operational carbon to zero by three simple, clear moves:
1. Removed all gas appliances
2. Electrified everything
3. Ensured the entire project was entirely, 100% renewables

We then organised for 100% certified GreenPower via Momentum, for all residents at a discounted rate.

Water tanks were installed and rainwater from all roof areas is directed into two (one per building) 5000L Kingspan Steel Slimline Tanks, which provides water for all garden irrigation. Each apartment uses low energy lighting. For heating and cooling each apartment is fitted with a low GWP, high energy efficient split system and ceiling fans are fitted in the living areas and bedrooms. In the kitchen and living spaces the vinyl flooring was replaced with cork,

We kept the skin, we kept the structure, we kept the bathrooms and we shifted the entire project from cars being at the centre, transforming once stagnant concrete spaces into shared landscaped gardens for residents to gather and enjoy.