Kelvin Grove Urban DevelopmentDesigning Australia's first master planned urban development

Kelvin Grove Urban Village is Australia's first master planned, mixed-use development, combining education, residential, business, cultural, and leisure activities within an inner-city environment.

A joint venture between the Queensland Government’s Department of Housing and Queensland University of Technology, the village is an integrated community with a focus on sustainability.

An aim of the project was to balance environmental, social and economic issues in order to achieve long-term sustainability. The project required the preservation of heritage areas such as buildings, trees and open spaces on the upper parade ground area and student accommodation buildings.

Establishing a 'green' village

As principal consultant, Aurecon worked with the Turrbal Association and the Heritage Council to develop a cultural heritage management plan. By making the plan safe and sustainable - in line with environmental and design guidelines - we were able to develop and maintain a ‘green’ village.

Innovative solutions such as grassed swales and porous pavements were used to reduce nutrient loadings, while structural soil trenches were created to encourage tree root propagation.

Aurecon made use of recyclable materials from the old site where possible, including bitumen gravel pavements and reclaimed timber from demolished buildings. By adopting an inclusive approach to all aspects of civil design, the village infrastructure sets new environmental and sustainable design benchmarks.