Project Overview

SOLHAVEN is a blueprint for a new way of living, where home, work, and community come together in one thoughtfully designed, sustainable precinct. Located in Ballina, a fast-growing coastal hub in the Northern Rivers, SOLHAVEN is the region’s first fully integrated live-work community, designed to support the modern lifestyle while being resilient to climate challenges and deeply connected to nature.

At the core of SOLHAVEN are 44 flexi-homes; flood-resilient, fossil fuel-free, and designed for multi-functional living. Whether you’re working from home, running a small business, or seeking a flexible space that evolves with your needs, these homes adapt to suit your lifestyle.

The village square is the heart of the community, featuring a curated mix of wellness, hospitality, and retail operators that align with the precinct’s ethos of sustainability and well-being. A specialty grocer, artisan cafes, co-working spaces, and a wellness park with yoga spaces, magnesium pools, infrared saunas, and cold plunges make SOLHAVEN a place where everyday life is effortless, connected, and enriching.

Designed with walkability in mind, SOLHAVEN reduces reliance on cars by prioritising bike-friendly infrastructure, pedestrian pathways, and EV charging stations. The entire precinct is built using passive design principles, ensuring that homes are thermally efficient and require minimal energy to heat or cool.

SOLHAVEN will be a community where people truly thrive. It’s a place for entrepreneurs, families, remote workers, and wellness-focused people to live, work, and connect in a way that feels natural, future-proof, and inspiring.

Organisation

CADRE

Team

CADRE, Cera Stribley (Architecture & Interiors), LARC (Landscape Design), Tycorp (Construction), Finding Infinity (Sustainability Consultant).

Project Brief

SOLHAVEN is a place where life and work don’t compete. They complement each other. A neighbourhood where homes are designed to adapt to the way people live, where local businesses thrive, and where sustainability is built into the very fabric of the community. While most developments separate home and work life, SOLHAVEN blends them seamlessly, creating a neighbourhood where flexibility is designed into the fabric of the community.

Ballina is changing. Once a quiet coastal town, it’s now a destination for remote workers, entrepreneurs, and families looking for a better way to live, somewhere that offers more than just a house, but a lifestyle that supports flexibility, creativity, and well-being. SOLHAVEN responds to this shift with a bold new approach to urban design, integrating living, working, and social spaces in a way that feels natural and connected.

SOLHAVEN is a living ecosystem. It’s a place where homes function as workspaces, where local businesses are carefully curated to enhance the community, and where the natural environment is embraced rather than erased. The entire precinct is curated for connection. The village square is more than a retail strip; it’s a community hub designed to host markets, workshops, and local events, encouraging daily interaction between residents and businesses. The wellness park is a core part of the lifestyle, with magnesium pools, yoga spaces, saunas, and cold plunges to support physical and mental well-being.

SOLHAVEN is carbon-conscious and future-focused, with solar-powered homes, passive design principles, and an energy-efficient, walkable layout.

Project Innovation/Need

Most property developments still operate on outdated models. Homes are static and rigid, office spaces feel cold and disconnected, and sustainability is an afterthought, not a foundation. People today want something different. People want homes that evolve with their lives, communities that support connection, and places where work, home, and well-being don’t compete; they complement each other.

SOLHAVEN is not just mixed-use, it’s integrated. Traditional developments separate residential and commercial spaces, often placing them side by side without any real interaction. SOLHAVEN blurs the lines, creating a true live-work ecosystem where businesses, homes, and social spaces enhance each other.

These are not standard houses. Each of SOLHAVEN’s 44 flexi-homes is designed to change with its owner; from a home office to a creative studio, from a consulting space to a multi-generational living setup. Instead of being forced into one way of living, residents can shape their homes around their needs.

Many developments prioritise cars over people. SOLHAVEN flips that model. The entire precinct is designed for walkability, reducing car dependence while fostering organic, daily social connections.
Many so-called “sustainable” developments add green features after the fact. SOLHAVEN was designed from the ground up to be fossil-fuel-free, flood-resilient, and powered by renewable energy, with solar, battery storage, passive house principles, and natural climate adaptation woven into its DNA.

It's where housing, business, sustainability, and community work together, rather than pulling in different directions. This hasn’t been done on this scale, and not with this level of integration.

Design Challenge

SOLHAVEN is cemented in rethinking how an entire community could function better. That meant tackling some of the biggest challenges in modern development: how to make housing adaptable, how to integrate workspaces naturally, how to prioritise people over cars, and how to make sustainability a seamless part of daily life.

One of the biggest challenges was designing truly flexible homes. Standard residential developments assume people’s needs stay the same, but that’s not reality. Work, family structures, and lifestyle demands are always changing. The challenge was to create homes that could evolve with their owners, allowing for working from home, running a business, multi-generational living, or rental opportunities, without requiring costly renovations. The 44 flexi-homes are modular, multi-functional, and designed to adapt over time.

Another challenge was making commercial spaces feel like part of everyday life rather than being an afterthought. Too many “mixed-use” developments end up with dead retail zones or soulless office blocks. SOLHAVEN had to integrate its commercial spaces so they were useful and engaging for residents. This is why the village square is a social hub, filled with artisan retailers, co-working spaces, and wellness operators that genuinely enhance the community.

Sustainability had to be built into the design, not just added later. SOLHAVEN had to be fossil-fuel-free, flood-resilient, and energy-efficient, all without sacrificing comfort or affordability. That meant carefully choosing passive house principles, water-sensitive landscaping, solar and battery storage, and materials that could withstand the Northern Rivers’ climate.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a foundational principle at SOLHAVEN. From the materials we chose to the way people move through the precinct, every decision was made to reduce environmental impact, enhance resilience, and create a long-term sustainable community.

Most developments retrofit sustainability measures later. SOLHAVEN was designed from the start to be 100% electric. Every home is powered by solar energy with battery storage, eliminating the need for gas. This means lower energy bills for residents and a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

SOLHAVEN’s homes are built using high-performance insulation, optimised glazing, and natural ventilation strategies to keep interiors cool in summer and warm in winter without relying on excessive air conditioning or heating. This drastically reduces energy consumption and cuts household energy costs by up to 50% compared to conventional homes.

Ballina’s coastal location means flooding is a serious concern. Rather than fighting nature, SOLHAVEN was designed to work with it. Homes are elevated and built using water-resistant materials, while the entire precinct features permeable landscaping, natural drainage, and water-sensitive urban design to mitigate flood risks.

Unlike most developments that prioritise cars, SOLHAVEN was built around walkability and community connection. The precinct encourages cycling, walking, and shared mobility, reducing traffic congestion and pollution. EV charging stations and bike-friendly infrastructure support sustainable transport choices.

Wherever possible, locally sourced and recycled materials were used to minimise embodied carbon. The focus was on durability and low-maintenance materials to ensure the precinct remains sustainable and cost-effective in the long run.