The GPT Group (GPT) has spent $470 million creating the Rouse Hill Town Centre. It sits at the heart of the 120 hectare New Rouse Hill site, which includes $1 billion of residential and commercial development undertaken by a Lend Lease/GPT joint venture over a period of 12 years.
The architectural design of the centre presented a challenge as it provided the opportunity to design both the buildings and the public realm in which they stand. The Centre was developed within the context of a masterplan prepared by Civitas Urban Design and Planning for Lend Lease and GPT (The New Rouse Hill), in partnership with the Department of Planning and Landcom. The architectural design was delivered by a consortium of three architectural firms — Rice Daubney, Allen Jack+Cottier and Group GSA.
In towns and cities, public space has traditionally served as a meeting place, marketplace and traffic way. The starting point for the design of the town centre was a desire to achieve this balance, responding to the climatic environment of Rouse Hill and the principles of ecologically sustainable design. Whilst maximising a feeling of openness within the public realm, the forms control solar penetration of the spaces between them, reducing shopfront heat loadings and minimising energy loadings.
A single paving material runs throughout the pedestrian areas. Whilst the sense of order this achieves is a prerequisite for all good towns, so too is a level of diversity. The balance between these attributes has been achieved through form, material and colour. In subsequent stages of development, a ring of residential buildings will surround and mask the retail boxes, forming the outer visual face of the town centre.
The Rouse Hill Town Centre is targeting to use 40 per cent less energy and 60 per cent less water than the average NSW retail centre. It has a forecast 25 per cent reduction in its ecological footprint in comparison to a standard regional NSW shopping centre. Other sustainable initiatives include a 150,000 litre rainwater harvesting tank for reuse in landscaping and fire services and over 130,000 tonnes of recycled materials were used in the construction of Rouse Hill Town Centre.
The overall environmental impact Rouse Hill Town Centre and its tenants will have on the planet is expected to be 25 per cent less than a standard regional shopping centre, using 60 per cent less water and 40 per cent less energy. Fifty per cent of non-structural concrete is recycled, at least 85 per cent of steel reinforcement is recycled and roof sheeting includes up to 20 per cent recycled content.
