Meet the Team
Banco Group is one of Melbourne’s most established and future-focused property developers and investors. Committed to building a sustainable future for Australian cities and creating places people can proudly call home, Banco has pulled together some of Melbourne’s most talented architects and designers, engineers, builders, creatives and professionals to realise its vision for East Brunswick Village.
Developer
“We’re creating a village that encompasses all the benefits of living in a real community. At EBV people will be able to work, shop, and socialise…it’s what Plan Melbourne calls a 20-minute neighbourhood, where residents will be able to access all they could want or need within a 20-minute walk.”
I think of EBV as a microcosm of East Brunswick. It’s exciting, it’s creative, it’s diverse, and East Brunswick is like that too – it’s one of Melbourne’s most inspiring and liveable suburbs. With EBV, one of our big aims is to make living in this part of Melbourne achievable for people whilst still offering residents vitality-giving properties, environmentally sustainable design and a village-style lifestyle where one can connect with their community and walk to their amenities.
– Mario Lo Giudice, Director, Banco Group
Architecture and Design
“Our architectural vision is of a self-sustaining village that enables holistic, modern urban living, yet respects and engages with the EBV site’s industrial past, and the culturally diverse neighbourhood it’s located in today.”
The entire project is based on a traditional village’s model of social, environmental and cultural sustainability. With the architecture, we’ve consciously sought to minimise the mass and imposition of the buildings, while creating a feeling of connectedness within EBV itself. A high standard of services and amenities have been interweaved throughout, including rooftop and podium gardens, communal vegetable plots, playgrounds and recreational spaces. Recycled timber and quarried bluestone from the site have been integrated throughout the landscaping, laneways and architecture. Tactile brickwork and expressed steel are reinterpreted in a contemporary way.
– Chris Manton, Director @ JAM Architects
Urban Planning
“EBV is one of the largest urban renewal projects in Moreland. We think we’ve got the scale right, and we genuinely feel it’s going to benefit EBV residents, and the wider community.”
Our vision has been to maximise connectivity between EBV and the existing community, and to create a series of spaces, that people will step inside and find retreat from the busy-ness of East Brunswick life. I’m proud that we’ve been able to design a traffic network that puts pedestrians, not cars, at the centre. Main Street is an east-west spine connecting Nicholson Street to John Street; it’s one of EBV’s biggest assets. It’s for majority pedestrian use, and it connects EBV to one of the inner north’s most iconic bike routes, the Brunswick Shimmy.
– Giovanni Gattini, Director @ G2 Urban Planning
Environmentally Sustainable Design
“EBV is an exciting sustainable development with a holistic response to energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, alternative transport options, indoor environment quality and materials usage. The project has a strong focus on striving for improved outcomes on thermal comfort for occupants through considered design and high-performance building envelopes.”
A key achievement of EBV is its operationally carbon neutral building status, which is being achieved through a combination of offsets, and renewable energy sources. Apartments will be free from any fossil fuels consumption, which means there’s no gas in use – it’s electric energy all the way! With a 7.5-star NatHERS rating commitment across the development, thermally efficient passive design and high-performance double glazing, apartments are designed with the resident’s comfort in mind. We’ve also ensured the homes’ internal environments are healthy, with low toxicity materials, durable and easy to maintain, and a design that allows for plenty of access to daylight and fresh air, all essential considerations for the development’s future residents.
– Vickie Huang – Senior Sustainability Consultant @ ADP consulting
“EBV is a big project. We’re looking at the sustainability of many aspects of the design, and we’re really pleased with what we’ve been able to achieve so far.”
Our scope includes energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, alternative transport options, indoor environment quality and materials usage. All residential apartments will achieve average 7.5-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). The local Council only requires an average rating of 6.5 stars, so this is a substantial improvement. It reflects innovations like the buildings’ thermally efficient passive design. This is ESD speak for staying cool in summer and warm in winter and means residents will be able to reduce their reliance on heating and air conditioning.
– Sophie Hutchinson, ESD Team Leader @ ADP Consulting
Rooftops, Communal Gardens and Green Spaces
We’re making EBV’s outdoor areas as harmonious, comfortable and full of life as possible. We’re ensuring there’s ready shade when the sun is at its zenith, for example, or making sure a bench seat is situated to make the most of a view. EBV has a heap of green spaces: rooftop gardens, podium gardens, viewing platforms, barbeque areas, vegetable patches, smaller nature spaces. The rooftop at 3 Bluestone Way will feature a dog walking track, barbeques, outdoors tables and lots of spaces for entertaining. During the day, an interplay of sunlight and shade will complement the plantscaping. In the evening, interactive LED art and stunning sky vistas will provide a real atmosphere. Then there is the podium garden on level one, which will also be lush and green, and a truly lovely place to spend time.
– Dan Palmer, Co-Director @ Very Edible Gardens
“We’ve gotten a feel for all the forces at play in each space: the sun, the wind, the views, and the physical aspects of the design and how that affects the way it will feel to move through.”
Place Making
“At EBV, we’re creating more than just spaces; we’re creating peoples’ homes. Culture is the glue that sticks community together, and we want the public art and wellbeing offerings to engage and soothe residents and visitors alike.”
We’re engaging local artists to create great public art that will stand the test of time. There will be public art throughout EBV, in a range of mediums – sculpture, photography, and murals.
We’re engaging local artists to provide the work and are especially interested in pieces that will drive conversation, connection and community.
– Andy Dinan, Director @ ADA Public Art
Social Club Coordinator
The Social Club is the centre of all things social at East Brunswick Village, and it’s my honour to be its coordinator.
As Social Club Coordinator, my goal is to ensure all residents feel welcomed into the EBV community as well as the broader Merri-bek neighbourhood. Alongside the residents, I will facilitate clubs, activities and events that inspire connectivity, joy and pride throughout the village. With a focus on accessibility for all, residents are free to decide the level of engagement they feel most comfortable with. Through the combination of resident participation and community support, we have a unique opportunity to create a vibrant and self-sustaining collective.
– April, Social Club Coordinator
Building Manager/Caretaker
I’m a stickler for detail and I don’t rest until a job gets done, so I’m enjoying getting stuck in as Building Manager and Caretaker for EBV.
EBV is such a well thought out development, with environmentally sustainable architecture and the systems and infrastructure in place to make everyday living as easy and functional as possible for its residents. It’s my job to look after all of the buildings at EBV – to make sure things are maintained good working order and that all the wonderful amenities spread across EBV are a joy to use.
– George Kiosoglou, Building Manager/Caretaker
About the Developer
Established in 1962, Banco Group is one of Melbourne’s most well-established property developers. We specialise in socially and environmentally sustainable developments and urban regeneration projects, including residential buildings, shopping centres, apartment complexes, townhouse and mixed-use developments, industrial parks, warehouse shells and land subdivisions.
We are committed to building a sustainable future for Australian cities and creating places people can proudly call home. Some of our recently completed projects include the Smith & Co project in Collingwood, Footscray Plaza in Footscray and Kensington River Walk in Kensington.