Description

Local: Kensington is our answer to the idea that renting has to mean compromise. It proves Build-to-Rent (BtR) can bring good design, inclusion and serious sustainability into the same everyday place, without locking people out.

Kensington has been quietly changing for years. Warehouses and light industry have given way to a neighbourhood wedged between two major hospitals, a university and some of Melbourne approved coffee and dining, with more people choosing to live close to where they work and study.

Local: Kensington at 348 Macaulay Road, designed by Hayball with landscape partners Openwork and Tract, is part of that shift. Six buildings form a connected campus around a landscaped courtyard that works like a neighbourhood square, with co-working, creative studios, lounges, bookable kitchens and dining, a 24/7 gym and Pilates studio, green space and a 'Bark Park' that residents actually use.

At ~95% occupancy, this is a residents’ community first. 42 apartments are Impact Housing, including social housing for women over 55 in partnership with Women’s Property Initiative, affordable homes for key workers and specialist disability housing, all embedded in the same buildings and shared spaces. At the time of completion, Local: Kensington became Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star-rated BtR community (Design & As Built), with a certified 7.8-star NatHERS average, fully electric systems and carbon neutral operations, showing what renting on another level can look like in practice.

What's On

Guided walks explore how Kensington is changing and how Local: Kensington responds through design and operation. Led by Hayball, Tract and Local’s onsite team, tours move through the courtyard “neighbourhood square” and key shared spaces.

Discussions will look at how the building works day-to-day, covering onsite management, shared space use, and integrated Impact Housing with Women’s Property Initiative. Set within the suburb’s broader evolution, the tour considers build-to-rent as a model for the long term.

In Collaboration With:

• 

  Local: Kensington

  Local: Kensington is a design-led build-to-rent community, built around a landscaped courtyard and shared spaces for work, wellness and connection, supported by a friendly on-site team who make the everyday feel easy. Now 95% occupied, it's proof that renting can be long-term, community-minded and genuinely worth staying for.

• 

  Hayball

  Hayball is one of Australia's largest architecture practices, with studios in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. They have been an Open House Melbourne regular for years, with multiple projects featured across past programs. Their work spans residential, education, health and mixed-use, with a consistent focus on designing for social value and community use. At Local: Kensington, they led the architectural design across six buildings and stayed involved through construction to opening day.

• 

  Tract

  Founded in Melbourne in 1973, Tract is one of Australia's longest-standing planning and landscape architecture practices. They work across urban design, town planning and landscape architecture, with projects in every Australian state. At Local: Kensington, they shaped the courtyard, green spaces and shared outdoor areas, designing for everyday resident use in a suburb that has shifted significantly from its industrial past.