FOREST HOUSE, Bendigo

Austin Maynard Architects brings revolutionary housing to Bendigo that is environmentally, socially and financially sustainable. Prioritising sun, view, garden and community spaces, Forest House is a multi-residential spin on their award winning Rae Rae House.

Forest House is an 8 star, three-storey residential community with 13 apartments, two loft-style townhouses and a grand heritage home, all located within easy walking distance of the Bendigo CBD, View Street Arts Precinct, the Bendigo Train Station and much more.

Austin Maynard Architects have two housing communities in Melbourne, that employ revolutionary ethical design principles, now under construction. ParkLife, at the much anticipated Nightingale Village, and Terrace House on Sydney Road, Brunswick. Forest House has adopted the same principles, sustainable, fossil fuel free, minimum 7.5 star NatHERs, community gardens, reduced cost of living, communal spaces, and community engagement.

HIGHER QUALITY, WITHOUT THE COST
Austin Maynard Architects have taken all of the learnings from ParkLife and Terrace House to create Forest House in Bendigo, their most ambitious project to date. The sustainability and the social considerations make this a groundbreaking regional community.

“How many homes in Bendigo have an 8 star energy rating, a 15kw Solar PhotoVoltaic system, are fossil fuel free, optimise passive solar gain, allow through-breezes, have such amazing views, surrounded by some of Bendigo’s best heritage, within an engaged community of like-minded people? With a huge north facing productive gardens, collect all of its roof water, made of locally sourced materials, almost negligible ongoing running costs, in the arts precinct, a short walk from Rosalind Park and Bendigo’s amazing heritage buildings? Forest House has all of that, and much more. At Forest House we are creating homes that vastly outperform other Bendigo CBD apartments, in sustainability, liveability and financially” says Andrew Maynard

LOCATION
On top of the hill on Forest Street, in the heart of the Arts precinct, Forest House is situated on what some locates have called “The best block in Bendigo”. It has everything Bendigo to offer, heritage, views, sunlight, greenery, community and much more.

SUPER-SUSTAINABLE
Central to all of Austin Maynard Architects’ work is sustainability. At Forest House each home is fossil fuel free, with a whopping NatHERS ratings exceeding 8 stars. There are 2 Bike Spaces Per Home and an electric charging point for both bikes and cars. A 15kw photovoltaic system powers the community, with the roofs deliberately pitched east/west to ensure that solar energy is captured most efficiently during peak usage times. The majority of the materials are locally sourced, and where possible, recycled. This radically reduces the embedded carbon in the construction of Forest House. Every home is oriented north, allowing sunlight to fill each home in winter, maximising passive solar gain. All roof water is collected to be used in the gardens and the toilets. Living spaces open to both the north and the south, creating through breezes and passive cooling.

IT’S ON FOREST STREET, SO LETS CREATE A FOREST
Austin Maynard Architects has deliberately keep the design beautifully modest. Simple white locally sourced materials with small pitched roofs, much like their award winning Rae Rae House. Overlaying this is a mesh screen, designed to allow vegetation to envelope the housing, filtering the sun entering each home. The homes sit towards the southern boundary to create a large sunny productive community garden to the north. The aim is to create lush gardens that, over-time, becomes the aesthetic with the building simply being a backdrop. Austin Maynard Architects have avoided overcomplicating the building. They’ve avoided designing a spaceship, and instead have crafted homes that form a back drop to trees, gardens and greenery.

There is a significant eucalyptus on site. An old custodian that watches over Bendigo. The homes have been designed to ensure the tree not only survives, but flourishes.

“We have nicknamed the tree ‘Bubba’”. We’d like help to find a permanent name for this grand custodian, so we are keen to know what the community thinks the tree should be called.” say Andrew Maynard.