“We are extremely proud of where we have taken Edge Visionary Living as a business in such a relatively short time,” he says. “We are now being recognised by the public and industry professionals alike for the premium quality of our luxury developments.” Exceptional outcomes
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Edge Visionary Living is a Perth-based developer of premium apartments that has accomplished a lot in a short time. Since delivering their first project in 2014, they have grown rapidly in size and acclaim. They have delivered some of the city’s most striking properties in the some of the most coveted locations, they have won some of the industry’s most prestigious accolades, and they have built a reputation as one of the most cutting-edge, contemporary developers in Western Australia. Recently, the growth of Edge Visionary Living – and the evolution of their industry reputation – culminated with their sweep of the highlycoveted UDIA WA Awards. At the 2021 ceremony, the company’s most recent project, Eden Floreat, was awarded not only the High Density Award, but also the Russel Perry Award for Urban Design Excellence. The UDIA awards program is extremely highly regarded in the urban development industry. Winners represent the highest achievers in community creation, innovation, and sustainability. The Russel Perry Award, in particular, is selected from the victors of all the individual categories – it’s the project that the judges consider to be the ‘Best of the Best.’ Eden Floreat thus represents the very best urban development project delivered within Western THE CONSTRUC T I ON SOURCE AUSTRAL I A “We are extremely proud of where we have taken Edge Visionary Living as a business in such a relatively short time,” he says. “We are now being recognised by the public and industry professionals alike for the premium quality of our luxury developments.”
EDGE V I S I ONARY L I V I NG Australia Gavin Hawkins, Managing Director of Edge Visionary Living, describes being extremely honoured by that achievement, and the milestone it represents for the company and their team: “We are extremely proud of where we have taken Edge Visionary Living as a business in such a relatively short time,” he says. “We are now being recognised by the public and industry professionals alike for the premium quality of our luxury developments.” Edge Visionary Living was founded by Gavin and his fellow director David Hillam – both have backgrounds in property in architecture, and their combined experience in the industry goes back over 40 years. They credit that depth of experience to the business “gaining traction relatively quickly, both in terms of equity and debt, which underpinned our strong early growth.” The company’s first project was a 48-apartment complex in Rivervale launched in 2014. That project was targeting the more affordable end of the market and sold out very quickly. On that project – and on all projects since – Edge has been extremely conscious of developing only in premium locations, whether it be on a lake in the heart of the Western Suburbs, on the river overlooking Kings Park and the city, or on the beachfront. They have focused on delivering developments that are unique, and that “deliver an exceptional outcome in terms of the desired lifestyles of our clients.” “We work extremely hard on
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creating, not just an aesthetically pleasing design, but a highly functional product that offers our clients everything that they desire both within the building and the local community,” Gavin says. That design-led approach is aided by the company’s partnership with Hillam Architects – of which Edge co- Director David Hillam is the Principal. According to Gavin, that partnership, the approach it enables, is a significant part of what sets Eden Floreat apart. He describes their “cutting-edge designs” – which are practical and aesthetically-striking – as “paramount in generating the significant levels of interest from our clients.” “Customers must have compelling reasons to choose the apartment living experience that we offer, with all the security, world class amenities and great community feel, over the traditional house on a large block,” he says. Eden Floreat, Gavin says, is a prime example of all those qualities in action. EDGE V I S I ONARY L I V I NG
Eden Floreat includes two buildings – Eden East and Eden West. Eden West comprises 100 apartments and one commercial space over five levels. Eden East comprises 62 apartments over four levels. The diverse offering across the two buildings includes one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, as well as three and four-bedroom penthouses. There was also a unique offering of 14 two-storey private residences with direct street access. Gavin credits the success of the project to a multitude of factors, starting with the location in the heart of Perth’s western suburbs, overlooking Perry Lakes. “At Eden Floreat we wanted to bring a level of premium apartment living that had never been seen before in Floreat or in the greater western suburbs Inspire, elevate, exceed THE CONSTRUC T I ON SOURCE AUSTRAL I A
in general,” Gavin says. “The site was spectacular,” he adds. “Eden residents have direct access to the abundant natural recreational space of Perry Lakes and Bold Park totalling 430 hectares. It also sits just three kilometres from the beach and seven kilometres from the city, in an area so peaceful yet connected to life’s conveniences. It is a location that has traditionally only been accessible to individual residences.” “We knew through our market research that people are rethinking what is important to them when it comes to apartment living. Eden has attracted local downsizers wishing to maintain the experiences they are used to in a traditional house on a large block of land, typical of this area.” Gavin also credits Eden’s success to the recreational amenities, which he describes as “arguably the finest in Perth,” as well as a “source of great pride for the Eden community.” A series of communal spaces in and around the buildings have been designed to transition between the public and private spaces with landscaping informed by the public space nearby. The amenities include: a 25 metre swimming pool and sun deck; gym; spa; steam room and sauna; multiple barbecue and alfresco dining spaces; caterer’s kitchen; scullery, dining and lounge areas; wine cellar and tasting room; a book retreat; theatre; reflection pools; and external lounge spaces. EDGE V I S I ONARY L I V I NG
The amenities complement the many recreational activities afforded by the location on the doorstep of Perry Lakes, Bold Park and City Beach. Oriented to the West, the amenities have views to the sunset terrace, which overlooks the expanse of bushland at Perry Lakes. Then there’s the design of the project – Gavin says that David and his team at Hillam Architects deserve a large percentage of the acclaim for their beautiful work, which carefully addressed the rich history of the area, “The redevelopment area of Perry Lakes has a rich history as the site of the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, which were used as a catalyst to showcase Perth as a modern city,” Gavin explains. “The event drove architectural design and competition for not only the stadium, but the games village and surrounding suburbs. The Floreat area has become synonymous with the mid-century modernist aesthetic of the era.” “Eden West has addressed the significance of the site and embraced the vision for the area,” he says. “The timeless architectural design is a positive addition to the streetscape and public realm and provides a development that is responsive to the community demands for diverse housing options. Eden is sympathetic to the precinct’s sporting heritage and the precious surrounding environment while embracing and connecting with the pristine parkside location.” During the design process, David THE CONSTRUC T I ON SOURCE AUSTRAL I A
and his team also considered contextual relationships – such as the adjacent parkland setting, nearby amenities, proximity to urban nodes and nearby infrastructure. In addition, Edge Visionary Living undertook extensive market research into downsizers in the area, whether they be retirees, empty nesters, or mature age singles. What they found was that there were very limited options for sophisticated, larger apartments in Perth, especially those that offer “resort-style amenities in the superb locations that they already know and love.” With Eden Floreat, Edge wanted to fill that niche. “Only premium fitting and fixtures have been used throughout Eden,” Gavin says. “The generous floorplan layout of each apartment feature three-to-three-and-a-half metre ceilings, expansive glazing and oversized balconies. Kitchens and bathrooms are fitted with high-end appliances such as Gaggenau, designer bronze tapware, range-hood and cupboard door hardware, engineered timber veneer cabinetry and parquetry floors, stone benchtops, freestanding bathtubs and bespoke lighting solutions.” The buildings host a variety of unit designs within each apartment type, which Gavin explains gave entry-level buyers “a range of apartment options” whilst at the same time “providing opportunities for those buyers who were seeking a more premium offering.” A range of penthouses and private residences, for example, were designed with the flexibility to cater for home office fit outs, self-contained guest suites, and teenage retreats with dual key access and private garages for up to four cars. Again, Gavin says, the ability to meet the diverse needs of different demographics is a credit to the drive of David and his team. “David’s passion for understanding how people use and live in buildings, as well as his exceptional eye for design and obsession with detail, has established Hillam Architects as one of Perth’s leading design firms. Hillam Architects sees opportunity for extraordinary design at every scale and produces spaces that inspire, elevate and exceed the lifestyle expectations of the people who interact with them.” “Working as a part of the development team has ensured a pragmatic, handson approach to the challenge of combining the business needs of stakeholders and developers with our passion for producing buildings that are innovative and enduring. As testament to the quality of Eden Floreat, David Hillam is making preparations to move into his penthouse apartment and become part of the community he has helped build at Eden.” EDGE V I S I ONARY L I V I NG
Eden West was completed in May, and Eden East in November. Both buildings have already proven to be “outstanding commercial successes,” Gavin says, even in spite of the difficult property market conditions that have persisted until recently. Gavin believes that buyers responded to the project because it filled a previously unfilled niche. “Discerning local downsizers looking to move from larger homes with pools, games rooms and more were previously limited in the apartment choices available in the area that allowed them to maintain the lifestyle to which they were accustomed,” he explains. “Eden Floreat’s premium apartments are significantly larger than market standard and the high standard of finish and level of amenities have exceeded the expectations of residents.” Gavin also believes the “sense of the community” they built had a lot to do with the success. He A sense of community THE CONSTRUC T I ON SOURCE AUSTRAL I A
says that sense is “fundamental to all Edge projects and how this is being taken on board and lovingly nurtured by Eden residents.” To foster that community feeling, and to ensure strong relationships with buyers, Eden relies on their internal sales and marketing department. They are one of the very few developers in Peth that have such a division in-house. “We feel that this is paramount in providing our clients with a fantastic experience through the sales, construction and moving in phases of our projects,” Gavin says. “Given we stay so close to our buyers throughout the journey and provide them with high level of support, our settlement rates at completion are very close to if not achieving 100 per cent success rates.” “Our personalised approach extends to residents having a choice between three curated colour palettes, extensive upgrades and bespoke lighting options – which requires extensive coordination between the developer, architects and contractors.” Edge also has a dedicated onboarding team to make the process “as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.” That team includes and in-house maintenance person who helps buyers where necessary in the move-in process. For continued support after moving in, Edge will represent the strata body for the first 12 months at Eden to ensure that the building operates as per the design intention. They are encouraging their residents to become part of the advisory committee early on as an opportunity to EDGE V I S I ONARY L I V I NG
familiarise themselves with the daily running of the building, and to prepare themselves for any future involvement in the ‘Council of Owners’ body at the end of the first 12 months. “This level of support throughout all stages is greatly appreciated by residents who, in the majority, have had no previous experience of apartment living,” Gavin explains. According to Gavin, Edge is extremely proud of the relationships they are now building with buyers. He’s also proud of the relationships they have built with other project stakeholders, including their builders. He says the project could not have been delivered without the collaboration of every member of the project team. For example, they started building Eden West in August 2019, so it was under construction during the COVID19-caused turbulence of 2021. Gavin says that they were able to persevere and complete the project due to the commitment of BGC, who he calls “one of Western Australia’s top builders.” “From the very first announcement of the lockdown, subsequent trade number restrictions on site, and uncertainty around whether WA building sites may be required to follow the lead of other Australian states and territories to shut down altogether, we worked together with the strong team at BGC, who were well equipped to deal with any unforeseen setbacks.” “With the close communication required to monitor and respond to the situation as it literally continued to evolve rapidly from day-to-day, we THE CONSTRUC T I ON SOURCE AUSTRAL I A
managed to experience only slight delays to the project,” Gavin says. “We are also very proud that a significant portion of the materials BGC and Edge used at Eden West were manufactured in Western Australia,” he continues. “Not only were we supporting our local community during a time of need, but the relationships with our valued local suppliers subsequently reduced our exposure to the international market. The Edge Development Team worked tirelessly to ensure all materials arrived safely and on-time and we managed to source the building components through our regular supply chains.” Currently, Edge Visionary Living is enjoying the result of their perseverance. They are now observing the community at Eden Floreat as it takes form, and seeing the residents take ownership of it. According to Gavin, that’s been the most rewarding part of the development process – more rewarding, even, than the literal industry awards. “We are so incredibly proud of the feedback we have received by the Eden community and industry professionals alike,” he says. “The success at the UDIA Awards is testament to the experience and quality of the Edge team and the projects we deliver.” “It is, however, the community that we are seeing being created and nurtured by the residents of Eden that gives us the most joy and pride.” EDGE V I S I ONARY L I V I NG
THE CONSTRUC T I ON SOURCE AUSTRAL I A For more on Edge Visionary Living, their team, their design approach, and the rest of their industry-leading apartment projects, visit https://www.edgevl.com.au/ For more on Eden Floreat specifically, visit https://edenfloreat.com.au/
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