Construction at one of Australia’s biggest urban transformation projects, Sydney’s Green Square Town Centre, began this week with a ground breaking ceremony for the precinct’s first residential building, Ebsworth.

Developed by Mirvac, the 10-storey, 174-unit Ebsworth is a laneway away from the Civic Plaza and underground library designed by Stewart Hollenstein in association with Canberra based Stewart Architecture.

The north of the apartment block is draped in green to give it a soft interface to the neighbouring heritage precinct of cottages and terraces, while a podium on the north-east façade offers landscaped courtyard spaces.

Providing a range of one, two and three bedroom, the apartments are designed to maximise natural light and ventilation, and reduce reliance on mechanical cooling and heating. Residents will also be able to use harvested rainwater recycled on site for toilet flushing, landscaping, irrigation and the residential car wash bay.

The ground breaking at Ebsworth, which is due for completion in the second half of 2016, marks the first of UrbanGrowth NSW’s major urban transformation projects to start the building phase. The first stage of around 2,000 apartments that Mirvac will build at Green Square, it is also kick-starting the Green Square precinct development.

Green Square is the second-fastest-growing area in NSW behind Blacktown, with the Town Centre to be built over 14 hectares adjacent to the railway station, and include a plaza, library, community centres, aquatic centres, and childcare and sports facilities.