Mirvac has unveiled The Finery, a ground-breaking model for apartment living that marries inspired
architecture with a wilderness environment that will counter the urban heat island effect of the innercity.
Located in the fast growing inner-south suburb of Waterloo, The Finery uses intensive landscaping to
create an eco-system that promises to be several degrees cooler than the surrounding streets.
Mirvac’s Head of Residential, John Carfi, said the landscaping of the internal courtyard went well
beyond design and planning guidelines and was part of Mirvac’s pro-active approach to sustainability.
“The temperature in the city can often be several degrees hotter than the surrounding air temperature
due to the cumulative effect of road bitumen, paved streets, hard surface courtyards and nonreflective
buildings,” said Mr Carfi.
“With The Finery, we are tackling this problem head-on by creating a meaningful green zone within
the development that will not only benefit our residents, but will ensure we are not creating another
temperature hot-spot that impacts upon the wider environment.
Rising from the former HPM factory site at 13-17 Lachlan Street, The Finery will offer more than 220
apartments and terrace homes, and is located just 3.5km from the Sydney CBD and airport and is a
short walk from Moore Park, Centennial Park and Surry Hills. It lies within the prized inner-South
Sydney growth corridor and will offer quick access to the future Sydney Metro rail line at Waterloo and
the proposed light rail.
The landscape design by ASPECT Studio Director Sacha Coles was developed in close collaboration
with the project architect, Mirvac’s Design Director, Julian Venning, to ensure a harmonious
integration of the built and natural environment.
“We have created many urban landscapes, but this project takes landscaping to a level that we have
not experienced in Sydney before,” said Mr Coles. “Internally, the development will be several
degrees cooler and it means we are not adding further to the urban heat island effect.
“The warming of cities is a problem and Sydney is no exception, but we are trying to tackle it block by
block, suburb by suburb, city by city; creating an urban green canopy that will absorb heat and
provide shade, building in some resilience.”
