Lord Mayor Sally Capp and Sentinel Managing Director Keith Lucas at the topping out ceremony for the Briscoe. Photo: Kit Haselden Photography

Sentinel has marked the 'topping out' construction milestone at its Build to Rent apartment building, The Briscoe, in West Melbourne. On completion, the project will be Sentinel's third completed Build to Rent community in Australia.

To commemorate the achievement for the project and Melbourne's growing Build to Rent sector, The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp, joined Sentinel's Managing Director in Australia, Keith Lucas, construction partner Crema Constructions and project architects Rothelowman on-site at 164-168 Roden Street for a site tour and topping out ceremony.

Sentinel has established The Briscoe as the name of its new apartment community, paying homage to the site's former status as home to one of Australia's largest Victorian-era hardware firms, Briscoe & Company Limited. The Briscoe will be home to 172 premium and sustainable Build to Rent apartments across seven levels, ranging from one- to three-bedroom layouts. It is scheduled to reach practical completion in March 2023.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp welcomed the project and said it will add value to Melbourne's housing landscape.

"I welcome more, quality housing supply in our city, especially when it is combined with community facilities and environmental outcomes," the Lord Mayor said.

"Melbourne is Australia’s most liveable city and it is projects like The Briscoe by Sentinel that continue to strengthen that title."

Artist rendering of The Briscoe, featuring the historic façade of the original building and recreated historic signage. Final finishes may vary.

As pioneered by Sentinel's previous Australian Build to Rent properties, The Briscoe will pursue carbon neutral certification on completion. The building has also been designed to be fossil-fuel-free and target a 5-Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.

The Briscoe will have a broad range of state-of-the-art amenities to provide residents with a sophisticated rental experience. These amenities include a rooftop terrace with sweeping views overlooking the Melbourne CBD skyline, a gym, a residents' lounge and dining area that can be booked for private functions, a business centre and a landscaped, green inner-courtyard at the centre of the building which will act as the uniting feature of the community.

Sentinel's on-site management, leasing and maintenance staff will provide an enhanced rental experience for residents, including a streamlined and personalised leasing process, 24/7 on-site maintenance and an ongoing program of curated resident events to grow and sustain a vibrant rental community.

Keith Lucas, Managing Director of Sentinel in Australia said: "It's fantastic to see The Briscoe, our first Build to Rent development in Victoria, progress another step closer to completion. It will offer residents a refined, highly sustainable and community-focussed lifestyle, creating a sense of place within and adding to West Melbourne’s existing character.

"The Briscoe has been thoughtfully designed outside and in for a renter-oriented living experience. The design draws heavily on the eclectic industrial heritage of the site and art deco influence of the iconic Briscoe and Co signage. The building is also designed to achieve leading sustainability benchmarks including carbon neutral certification, empowering residents to live greener," said Mr. Lucas.

The announcement received positive coverage in Australian media:
Herald Sun
The Fifth Estate
Brisbane Times
The Chronicle

Sentinel currently has more than 1,300 Build to Rent units under various stages of development throughout Australia. Read more about our Australian Build to Rent Projects.

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You can read the entire article on page 30 of the publication here: A Holistic Approach Drives ESG Results

Sentinel believes that environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance (ESG) factors can have an impact on investment performance and must be considered when evaluating real estate investment opportunities and managing real estate assets. Learn more about Sentinel's Sustainability.

The post Sentinel’s Approach to ESG Featured in NAREIM Dialogues appeared first on Sentinel Real Estate Corporation News.

Element 27 was recognised in the Best Sustainable Development category – a reflection of Sentinel’s commitment to creating high quality and sustainable living options for Australians.

Michael Streicker, President of Sentinel, said "Build to Rent provides a unique opportunity when it comes to sustainability. The developer’s continued role in management of the building following construction means it is possible to track and enhance environmental performance at a level well above what’s possible in traditional strata residential models.

"Our Element 27 development in Subiaco, Perth, was recently certified as the first Carbon Neutral apartment building in Australia, making it a leader in its class and illustrating the enhanced environmental outcomes that Build to Rent projects can deliver. We are delighted to receive recognition for the project at this year’s WA Property Awards."

Element 27 was designed to incorporate numerous strategies aimed at water and energy conservation, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and minimal maintenance and waste. It was also designed with durable materials, energy-efficient appliances, double glazed glass, electric car charging stations, a rainwater and grey-water recycling system and an embedded metering network, earning it an impressive 8-star NatHERS rating, in addition to the Carbon Neutral certification.

To learn more, visit the Element 27 website here.

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Element 27’s Carbon Neutral Certification has received considerable coverage including this piece from 7News Perth

Sentinel Real Estate is proud to announce that our flagship Australian Build to Rent project, Element 27, has become the first Carbon Neutral Certified apartment building in Australia under the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Buildings.

The industry-first achievement comes after Sentinel and Stantec’s sustainability team worked with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and Climate Active to shape a certification methodology for Green Star Performance that’s applicable to the Build to Rent model.

Element 27 was successfully registered for the first-of-its-kind certification in April this year, with final certification occurring on June 29th 2021.

Located in Subiaco, Western Australia, Element 27 was designed to incorporate environmental strategies aimed at water and energy conservation, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and minimal maintenance and waste through the use of durable products.

Key sustainability features in the 93-unit building include electric car charging stations, energy efficient appliances, a 30kW photovoltaic system for common area energy use and an 8-star NatHERS rating. Specialty waste streams, access to a centralised geothermal system, a rainwater and grey-water recycling system, occupancy sensors and an embedded metering network also support high sustainability standards.

Michael Streicker, President of Sentinel said: “Driving progressive sustainable outcomes is at the core of our projects. Following a productive and considered process with Climate Active and the Green Building Council of Australia, it is rewarding to see Element 27, Australia’s first purpose-built Build to Rent project, successfully certified as the first Carbon Neutral Certified project of its kind as well.

“There is a unique opportunity with the Build to Rent model – our continued role in management of the building following design and construction means it is possible to track, benchmark and publish residential environmental performance in ways that differ from the traditional residential strata model. We have a continued responsibility and can ensure the building performs to high sustainability standards once occupied.

“We are also seeing a strong trend towards environmentally sustainable investments within the investor community, so it is natural we aim for outcomes such as creating Carbon Neutral buildings and embed this in our institutional management strategy.”

The Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Buildings was established through collaboration between the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the GBCA and NABERS. To achieve eligibility and certification, several operational factors including stabilisation, greenhouse gas emissions, waste from operations, refrigerant impacts and transport emissions are assessed. The GBCA provides Climate Active with validation of projects for certification through industry recognised pathways such as Green Star – Performance v1.2.

Davina Rooney, Chief Executive Officer of the GBCA said: “We congratulate Sentinel for their leadership in setting the standard for the residential market with a net zero rating from Climate Active for their Element 27 development, using Green Star – Performance. The residential sector is responsible for over 50 per cent of Australia’s building-related emissions and the Build to Rent sector has an opportunity to set clear leading goals in this space by bringing investor drivers to the residential market.”

Element 27 was the first purpose-built institutional Build to Rent community in Australia, with the first phase operational and fully tenanted since April 2019. It is the only Build to Rent property currently active in Western Australia.

The second phase of the project is approaching practical completion and expected to open by September 2021. Construction of the third phase of the project is expected to begin in Q3 2021.

Element 27’s industry-first certification received considerable coverage from Australian press:

• 7 News Perth – Carbon neutral: rental revolution for the Perth housing market
• Channel 10 News Perth – Sentinel Real Estate carbon neutral building
• Australian Property Journal – Element one with nature with carbon neutral apartments
• Architecture and Design – Sentinel’s Build to Rent is Australia’s first Carbon Neutral Certified apartment building
• Eco Voice – Sentinel delivers Australia’s first Carbon Neutral Certified apartment building
• Urban.com.au – Sentinel’s Element 27 in Perth sets green benchmark in emerging Build to Rent sector
• Facility Management Magazine – Perth apartment block Element 27 gains Carbon Neutral Certification
• The Fifth Estate – Perth’s carbon neutral certified apartment building
• The Urban Developer – Sentinel Real Estate Achieves Australian Build-to-Rent First

Learn more about Sentinel's Build to Rent model here.

Learn more about how Sentinel is dedicated to Sustainability efforts here.

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