The Commons Hobart is an innovative approach to urban living in Hobart, Tasmania. The building comprises thirty apartments and two retail lots and is located in the city centre, a short walking distance to jobs, shops and services. Completed in 2020, The Commons was designed to provide an example of sustainable, resilient and socially cohesive urban residential development.
The Commons' vision is an intentional, place-based community. Our intention is to live together in company, building shared values that encourage residents to live more sustainably with nature and supporting the broader community. Rather than living in an ordinary apartment with no idea who the neighbours are, Commons' residents are encouraged to communicate and act together to build a vibrant community. Desired levels of personal privacy can also be maintained.
The individual apartments were designed to achieve an average energy efficiency rating of 9 stars. Shared services in the building include shared rooftop gardens, a communal laundry and outdoor clothesline, a rooftop common room for functions and meetings, and a private carshare program offering two electric vehicles.
Sharing resources across the residential scheme offers a lower cost of living for the residents. At the building stage, there were savings made by avoiding installing multiple carparking spaces and individual laundries, and apartment sizes were economical. This resulted in lower building costs and hence lower purchase prices for apartment owners.
On an ongoing basis, space heating and domestic hot water are provided by a common system which is highly efficient and which is also supported with solar PV electricity. The cost of space heating and hot water is shared amongst all owners via the proportional strata levy system. We encourage low-cost sustainable transport by providing in-house EVs and generous bike parking facilities.
The Commons' vision is an intentional, place-based community. Our intention is to live together in company, building shared values that encourage residents to live more sustainably with nature and supporting the broader community. Rather than living in an ordinary apartment with no idea who the neighbours are, Commons' residents are encouraged to communicate and act together to build a vibrant community. Desired levels of personal privacy can also be maintained.
The individual apartments were designed to achieve an average energy efficiency rating of 9 stars. Shared services in the building include shared rooftop gardens, a communal laundry and outdoor clothesline, a rooftop common room for functions and meetings, and a private carshare program offering two electric vehicles.
Sharing resources across the residential scheme offers a lower cost of living for the residents. At the building stage, there were savings made by avoiding installing multiple carparking spaces and individual laundries, and apartment sizes were economical. This resulted in lower building costs and hence lower purchase prices for apartment owners.
On an ongoing basis, space heating and domestic hot water are provided by a common system which is highly efficient and which is also supported with solar PV electricity. The cost of space heating and hot water is shared amongst all owners via the proportional strata levy system. We encourage low-cost sustainable transport by providing in-house EVs and generous bike parking facilities.
As an intentional, place-based community we contribute to the world in a meaningful way, and show how humans can live in greater harmony with nature and experience profound individual and social flourishing in an urban environment.
