Beyond the pool: the property developments rethinking how Australians live

Pools and gyms remain part of the offer, but this year’s PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Australia) winners also make room for work, study, ageing, pets, and the less predictable business of daily life.

A Wollemi pine will grow beneath the open sky on the 66th floor of AURA at Melbourne Square. It is an unlikely place to find one of the world’s oldest tree species, surrounded by a private dining room, lounges, treatment rooms, and spaces for meditation and sound therapy.

Lower in the 67-storey building are a Japanese-inspired garden and teahouse, co-working areas, an indoor pool, cold plunge, Pilates studio and golf simulator. Across five levels, AURA dedicates 1,567 square metres to wellness facilities.

The 673-residence tower collected four awards: Best Luxury Apartment Development (Victoria), Best Wellness Residential Development, Best Apartment Interior Design, and Best Apartment Development (Australia).

Its developer, OSK Property, was named Best Lifestyle Apartment Developer. Since completing the first two Melbourne Square towers in 2021, OSK has continued to fill out the Southbank precinct with homes, shops, gardens, and resident facilities. AURA will add approximately 1,600 square metres of retail space, while its apartments combine Japanese-influenced interiors with flexible rooms, terraces, and colours drawn from Australian plants.

At Palm Lake Resort Pelican Waters, daily life spreads out rather than upwards. The Queensland community will eventually contain 317 homes for people over 50, set among lakes, bushland, and a Greg Norman-designed golf course.

Its centrepiece is a 6,500-square-metre country club with a 25-metre indoor pool, yoga and Pilates studios, saunas, steam rooms, and a Milon smart gym. The machines adjust to each resident’s mobility and strength, while footpaths, linear parks, and bushwalking trails offer less structured ways to remain active.

Palm Lake Resort was named Best Lifestyle Housing Developer. Pelican Waters won Best Luxury Housing Development (Queensland), Best Senior Living Development, Best Lifestyle Housing Development, and Best Housing Development (Australia), and was Highly Commended for Best Wellness Residential Development.

Finbar’s Garden Towers in East Perth gives residents a business lounge, private video call pods, and smart parcel lockers alongside a 21-metre pool, gym, yoga room, and cinema. A pet exercise area and wash station occupy Level 6, while the rooftop brings lounges, a bar, and entertaining areas to Level 36. The 329-residence project, overlooking Queens Gardens and the Swan River, won Best Lifestyle Apartment Development.

Nearby in Jolimont, Jolie Residences by WBG Property takes its cues from the existing trees. Brick arches establish the six-storey building at street level, while tree-like columns, planting, and curved forms carry the landscape upwards. Its 48 apartments share a planted courtyard and rooftop pool, and 20 per cent are designed to Silver Level Liveable Housing standards. Jolie won Best Apartment Development (Western Australia) and was Highly Commended for Best Apartment Architectural Design.

Scape Lachlan by The Living Company divides 523 student rooms between two buildings in Kensington. One concentrates on shared kitchens, study rooms, gaming, and karaoke; the other has a rooftop pool, barbecue area, and private dining rooms. Bedrooms provide integrated storage, natural light, and dedicated desks.

The development also adds an amphitheatre, plazas, and pedestrian routes to the surrounding streets. Recycled mattress protectors from other Scape properties have been turned into kitchen benchtops, giving a discarded material a second use inside the Best Student Accommodation Development.

At Kokomo Gold Coast, 66 low-rise apartments face the Nerang River through broad balconies and resort-style landscaping. Brick Stone Development’s project won Best Waterfront Apartment Development, while project developer and Sales Manager Rafer Gao received the Rising Star award.

Broadview, named Best Housing Developer, is delivering 110 homes at Verna Estate, winner of Best Townhouse Development (Western Australia). The first 35 homes sold out on release. Double glazing, landscaped front gardens, and low-maintenance interiors are paired with access to Cockburn Central’s transport, shops, schools, and recreation.

UFN’s Homeland Residences, the Best High End Townhouse Development (New South Wales), places eight double-brick homes beside Homelands Reserve in Carlingford. Private courtyards, basement parking, EV charging, and digital locks provide the practical infrastructure around them.

At Kings Lane, Blue Run and Rothelowman used five exterior treatments to vary a collection of 25 South Kingsville townhouses without making the development feel disjointed. Brick facades and landscaped courtyards give the project, named Best Townhouse Development (Victoria), much of its character.

Shinfield Residence in St Ives won Best Single Residence (New South Wales) for Innomax Constructions and YU Interiors. Curved forms, stone, timber, and large areas of glazing draw daylight through the main living spaces and towards the garden. A private theatre, wine cellar, and double-height lounge sit within the three-storey family home.

Not every resident needs a teahouse, karaoke room, or 6,500-square-metre country club. The better question is whether somebody has thought seriously about who will use the building. Here, that might be a student looking for somewhere to work, an older owner determined to remain active, a family wanting a park outside the gate, or an apartment resident trying to wash the dog without destroying the bathroom.