Located in inner Melbourne, on the banks of Merri Creek in Northcote, The Wilds is a collection of 15 carbon-neutral homes delivered by Melbourne property developer, Beulah and designed by Edition Office.

Set to become the first carbon-neutral detached housing development in inner Melbourne, each residence incorporates a solar panel array and is 100 per cent electric, including induction cooktops, enabling the houses to operate fossil-fuel free.

Passive solar design ensures the buildings are orientated where practical to minimise energy use, including enclosed first floor terraces, northern window shading with projecting screens, and external operable blinds to west and south-west creek facing windows.

Ventilation, double glazed windows and doors, and a 5,000L rainwater tank also help to reduce the homes’ carbon footprint.

Aiming to bring residents closer to the natural world, The Wilds highlights water-sensitive landscape design, including drought-tolerant and indigenous plant species.

In addition, permeable paving was applied in common areas with an underground water detention tank, to minimise stormwater discharge and improve its quality.

With a range of direct creek frontage designs and garden settings, each three, four and five bedroom home provides a constant connection with nature, while the generous floorplans also feature a flexible room for a home office, exercise space or creative studio.

The interiors of each house maximise the space that this unique site offers, with soaring ceilings, abundant natural light, a sense of flow within and broad views to the gardens beyond; blurring the indoors with the outdoors.

Beulah Executive Director, Adelene Teh, said The Wilds is an offering that has not yet been explored within Melbourne.

“The Wilds is incredibly rare in that it is not only carbon-neutral, but it consists of expansive detached houses, all located with direct frontage to the Merri Creek. Residents will have the privacy of their own garden, yet will reap the benefits of belonging to a boutique community,” Ms Teh said.

“As a company, we wanted to explore a carbon-neutral offering and we felt it aligned strongly with the sustainably-minded suburb of Northcote, where we could integrate the project into the landscape and respect the surroundings as much as possible to reduce its carbon footprint.”

Although this is Beulah’s first foray into carbon neutrality, the developer is known for its boundary-pushing initiatives, with its Paragon tower in Melbourne CBD hosting the largest vertical installation of solar panels in Australia, as well as the country’s first indoor urban forest.

Image courtesy of Beulah.