ProjectSnapshot
Development Type: 18 Townhouses
Location: City of Monash, Victoria
Project Approach: Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)
Project Stage: Planning Approval
SUHO Services: Sustainability Management Plan (SMP), BESS Assessment, Preliminary NatHERS Modelling, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Report, MUSIC Stormwater Modelling
Outcome: 52% BESS Score, Full SDAPP Compliance, Council Stormwater Requirements Achieved
Aligning Sustainability with Modern Construction
As housing demand continues to grow, the industry is exploring new ways to deliver homes more efficiently, consistently and sustainably. This 18-townhouse development demonstrates how sustainability planning can support that shift.
Designed using a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach, the project sought to combine the efficiencies of off-site construction with strong environmental performance outcomes. DfMA projects rely on early coordination and clear decision-making, making the planning phase particularly important.
SUHO was engaged to prepare the Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Report required by Monash City Council's Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process (SDAPP) framework.
Our objective was straight forward: achieve planning compliance with minimal disruption to the proposed design while ensuring the development delivered meaningful sustainability outcomes for future residents and the broader community.
Embedding Sustainability Early
For developments of this scale, an SMP provides Council with confidence that sustainability has been considered from the outset. Using the Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS), we assessed the project across key sustainability categories including energy, water, stormwater, transport, waste management, urban ecology and indoor environment quality.
Working closely with the design team, SUHO developed a practical sustainability strategy that aligned with the project's DfMA methodology and planning objectives.
The development achieved:
- An overall BESS score of 52%, exceeding the 50% industry best-practice benchmark.
- Preliminary NatHERS assessments for thermally unique dwellings to provide early energy performance insights.
- Full compliance with Council sustainability requirements with only minor adjustments to the proposed design.
Achieving compliance without extensive redesign was a significant outcome. It allowed the project team to maintain momentum through the planning process while preserving the efficiencies that make DfMA developments attractive in the first place.
A Practical Stormwater Strategy
Water management was another important component of the approval pathway.
WSUD strategies are designed to reduce the environmental impacts of urban development by improving stormwater quality, reducing potable water demand and better replicating natural water cycles. For councils, they help protect local waterways and drainage networks. For residents, they can reduce water consumption and support more resilient communities.
The project team had already identified 2,000-litre rainwater tanks for each townhouse as their preferred solution. Rather than introducing unnecessary complexity, SUHO developed a treatment strategy that built upon this approach while satisfying Council's stormwater performance requirements.
The final solution incorporated:
- 18 × 2,000L rainwater tanks providing 36,000L of total rainwater storage.
- Rainwater capture from approximately 1,497m² of roof area for toilet flushing.
- OceanGuard gross pollutant reatment systems to capture litter and coarse pollutants from driveway runoff.
- StormFilter tertiary treatment systems to improve water quality prior to discharge.
- Treatment of driveway, landscaped and open space areas through an integrated WSUD network.
Using MUSIC modelling, the strategy demonstrated full compliance with Monash City Council's stormwater quality objectives.
Delivering Value Beyond Compliance
While planning compliance was the immediate goal, the benefits extend well beyond approval.
For the developer, the project demonstrates how sustainability can be integrated efficiently into a contemporary housing model without compromising design intent, construction methodology or project viability.
For future residents, rainwater harvesting, improved building performance and reduced resource consumption contribute to lower operating costs and more comfortable homes.
For Council and the wider community, the development supports broader sustainability objectives through improved stormwater quality, reduced demand on potable water supplies and environmentally responsible urban growth.
Most importantly, the project highlights what can be achieved when sustainability is considered early. Rather than becoming a late-stage compliance exercise, it becomes a tool that helps unlock better planning outcomes, reduce project risk and support the delivery of high-quality housing.
The Result
Through a coordinated SMP and WSUD strategy, SUHO helped this innovative DfMA townhouse development achieve best-practice sustainability outcomes under Monash's SDAPP framework while maintaining the project's preferred design and delivery approach.
The result is a development that not only met Council requirements but demonstrates how modern housing delivery and practical sustainability outcomes can work hand in hand, creating lasting value for developers, residents and the communities they help shape.
