Crace Water Sensitive Urban Design

Land Development Agency

Crace, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Australia's first suburb to achieve GreenSmart accreditation in recognition of its sustainability initiatives

Crace Stage 2 was the first suburb in Australia to achieve GreenSmart accreditation in recognition of its sustainability initiatives, including cutting-edge water sensitive urban design by Calibre Built Environment.

Our team conducted an initial flood Investigation of the Crace catchment to determine attenuation requirements for storm events up to the 100-year Average Recurrence Interval.


Innovative solutions

Our solution was to devise a flood mitigation and stormwater quality strategy involving combined raingardens and detention basins. The raingardens not only allow for water treatment to be decentralised, but also provide high aesthetic value.

Additional water quality and quantity measures include gross pollutant traps, bioretention basins and swales.


Combining a mix of standard residential, terrace urbanized affordable housing, multi-units, a retail/commercial centre and significant open spaces, Crace is a masterplanned community featuring many industry-leading and award-winning innovations. Stage 2 includes 816 dwellings.