N E W D E V E L O P ME N T
NEW STYLE IS SET A pioneering architect creates a new coastal housing legacy in a local Stockland community.
J
ohn Mainwaring has a heartfelt sense of the Sunshine Coast that only comes from living here for more than 20 years. The multi-award-winning architect has been at the forefront of design in the region since the 1980s and he has now taken a leading role in the creation of a new style of Sunshine Coast living. The Bower Series at Stockland’s Bells Reach community is a unique form of housing – contemporary terraces on freehold titles that start at only $204,940. Homes in the series are double storey and range from two-bedroom, two-bathroom, singlegarage dwellings to three-bedroom homes. Stepping out of your front door and into a leafy park with a nearby cafe is usually a lifestyle associated with resort-style living on the Coast or CBD living in larger cities. “But why shouldn’t this lifestyle be available in new areas for people who don’t want big homes that take little inspiration from their surroundings?’’ asks Mainwaring. “The ‘McMansion’ has lost its appeal. Large cars are being replaced by bicycles, public transport and smaller hybrid
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cars. Houses are moving the same way,’’ he adds. “From an urban design perspective, privacy and community amenity has been a priority for each house and its relationship to its neighbours. The spaces are larger and more flexible, as well as using and maximising indoor/outdoor space to suit a range of different occupants.’’ Working for more than 30 years, Mainwaring has developed a characteristic Australian coastal architecture. His work has won dozens of awards for projects as wide ranging as his own home at Noosa to Viridian Resort at Noosa and the redesign of Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall.
Having spent time overseas in places like England, Denmark and Japan, he has seen first-hand how smarter designed homes can work in a variety of situations. “The way we live at home is changing rapidly,” he says. “For example, so many people shop for fresh food every day or two, or choose to eat out more regularly after a long day at work. So we see people downsizing their fridge and saving on energy costs.” Mainwaring says people are also making better use of outdoor spaces but without the big maintenance-hungry backyards of years gone by. “At Bells Reach pockets of homes will be interspersed with a neighbourhood centre and great local parks, encouraging people to spend time outside their home but still in the heart of their community.’’ The Bower Series is unique in South-East Queensland because planning laws don’t allow this style of semi-detached home on freehold title in Brisbane. “Anywhere else and these homes would be part of a body corporate arrangement, and people are aware of the extra costs that come with bodies corporate,’’ Mainwaring says.
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