September, 2026

Standing alone in the forest, Andrew La let his architect’s mind drift, allowing the peace and tranquillity to wash over him. In the stillness and silence, he came to realise that he was not alone at all, and the forest was in fact teeming with life. All around him insects, birds and small animals were going about their daily life, feeding and chattering, tending to their young.

In his quest to find inspiration for the houses and apartments he would later design at Highforest, the Mirvac Design Director had entered a well-established community that already called the forest home. Here, unaided by human hand, every creature had found or made a home appropriate to their needs, suitable for nesting and raising their young, protected from predators and close to the best sources of food for foraging.

Taking nature as his guide, Andrew sketched out an early concept for Highforest, with apartments playing to the idea of a treehouse, up high in the canopy, and houses referencing the tree hollows that offer a warm, protective place on the forest floor.

All the sights, sounds and scents of the forest, he wove into the design; the way the sun filters through the trees piercing darkness with light; the changing colour of leaves depending on the weather, the time of day and the seasons; the distinctly Australian tang of eucalypts; and musky sweet smell of leaf litter after rain.

Surrounded by such beauty, the architect felt bound, and inspired, to honour Mirvac’s commitment - to leave this special place better than it was before.

Working within the existing footprint of previous development, a streetscape following the natural contours of the land began to take shape, with houses at a respectful distance from the forest while connected visually and via green habitat corridors.

“Our vision was to capture the natural character of the forest, reflecting the muted colours and patterns and utilising the beautiful sandstone salvaged from the former IBM campus,” says Andrew, whose 28-year tenure at Mirvac Design has produced some of the group’s most iconic places.

‘ The idea of treetop living came from seeing nest boxes and fallen tree hollows, and translating that to apartments and houses, most of them with a view of the forest.’

ANDREW LA
Design Director, Mirvac Design

“Highforest shares a boundary with the only metropolitan native forest in Australia and that presented us with a challenge and an opportunity to create a community that exists in harmony with the natural environment.”

Mirvac has returned more than 10 hectares of endangered Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest within the site to public ownership, securing its protection through conservation status. Endangered species such as the resident Powerful Owls are being monitored and habitat for Dural Land Snails retained.

To date, more than 4,000 tadpoles, frogs, possums, lizards, snakes and snails have been successfully relocated. Mirvac has set an ambitious goal to achieve a 6 Star Green Star Communities rating, which would establish Highforest as a world leader in sustainable development and innovation.

To secure the rating Highforest must demonstrate a responsible approach to the consumption of energy, water and resources aimed at reducing the carbon footprint, along with the conservation and protection of the natural environment. Liveability and community building also factor high in assessing eligibility for Green Star recognition.