Announcing our latest Assemble Futures project, 4 Ballarat St. Brunswick

With a new agenda focused on creating homes for change to build a better, fairer housing system, we have launched our latest ‘rent-with-the-option-to-buy’ development in Brunswick with apartments being released on 15^th of May 2021.

Designed by Fieldwork architects, 4 Ballarat St, Brunswick features 171 apartments comprising studio, one, two and three-bedroom floorplans that will transform the existing factory site into the highly sought-after inner-north community.

Our third Assemble Futures project, also known as ‘rent-with-the-option-to-buy’, 4 Ballarat St. follows our two other successful developments – 393 Macaulay Rd, Kensington, currently under construction and residents moving in 2021, and 15 Thompson St, Kensington, now being demolished in preparation for construction.

Assemble Futures (formerly known as the Assemble Model) offers a more accessible pathway to owning a home, that bridges the gap between renting and buying. Once the applicant signs the lease agreement and contract of sale, they secure five years agreed rent with the option to buy their home at 4 Ballarat St. the end of the lease period.

Assemble Managing Director, Kris Daff said the Assemble Futures housing concept is popular for Melbourne’s first home buyers, with moderate incomes starting from $60,000, and renters alike seeking secure, long-term housing.

“We are witnessing the strongest growth in property values in our history, rising at their fastest rate in almost two decades, and as a result, we have reached a crisis point in housing affordability. Our housing concept, Assemble Futures, takes the volatility out of the market and provides absolute price certainty for our clients over the term of the lease and the end purchase price.”

“This latest project provides those with a moderate annual income an opportunity to save for a home deposit, know they have the security of tenure and live in the heart of the Brunswick community in a quality designed apartment,” said Mr Daff.

The built form takes inspiration from the Brunswick streetscape, with Fieldwork’s design integrating raw materials such as corrugated iron, blue stone paving and concrete to create a timeless ribbed-textured ‘patina’ exterior.

Inside at 4 Ballarat St, residents will enjoy thoughtfully designed apartments that connect each home with a fully landscaped open-air walkway throughout the central building.

Sunlight will flood apartment interiors, with crossflow ventilation encouraged through operable transom windows. Living spaces are designed for durability, functionality, and longevity with exposed concrete soffits to regulate internal temperature, plus high-quality fixtures and fittings.

Through the design, neighbourly interactions are encouraged with the ground floor featuring a multi-purpose workshop and lending library to share household items with others. A rooftop communal room is included, providing residents with a flexible, bookable studio space to host activities such as parties, yoga and community events. Additional convenience is provided with a parcel delivery and cool storage room.

The community will thrive amongst lush, landscaped spaces with native tropical plants on the ground floor that look up into the building’s open atrium space, designed by landscape architecture team, Rush Wright. A further communal garden located at northern end of the building, shaded by an overhead pergola and large canopy trees, is available to residents.

The rooftop is adorned with further open green space and activated by a communal BBQ area, shared laundry and clothes lines and designated dog park and wash area for the residents’ four-legged friends. An edible garden space also affords residents the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and harvest herbs.

Sustainability is at the fore with the building fully electric, run on 100% renewable energy (natural gas free), with a minimum 7.5-star average NatHERS rating target. An onsite bio-composter that employs a closed loop system will manage organic waste and convert this to fertilizer for the gardens, with stormwater recycled and used for toilets and landscape watering.

Provisioning will be made for future electric vehicle charging facilities, whilst parking for more than 200 bikes is accommodated across the project.

Apartments will be released by Assemble’s Relationships team from early May across three stages. The first selection of apartments will be released on 15^th of May, with further releases available throughout May.

For further project information visit https://assemble4ballaratst.com/