Nature-Positive Housing Model Put to the Test in South Australia

When physiotherapist David Cummins washed up on a Maldivian island after a near-death surfing accident, he found a community living with nature rather than against it—and it changed everything about how he thought buildings should work. The bamboo huts with leaf roofs, independent water systems and extensive connection to the natural environment made an impression. So did the close call with drowning after his surfboard’s leg rope trapped him underwater after a wipeout on a 5m wave. “I wanted to know: how can we learn from these communities of the past to help create a more sustainable future?” he tells The Urban Developer . At the time, Cummins was at the top of the food chain in hospital construction, but he’d realised something: “The bigger the base, the harder it is to create change.” So he started Future Property Group, a developer that is evidence-based, purpose-driven and sustainability-focused. “I’ve just found amazing sustainability-driven people to create this avalanche of what we’ve got today,” he says. “And I realised, that’s how we can actually make this big change.” Three years and significant personal investment later, Cummins’ South Australian company is ready to test whether nature-positive design can work at commercial scale, installing its first prototype unit at the Gawler Caravan Park this year. The four-year bet The modular unit combines solar panels with a living green roof—a biosolar system that research from the University of Technology Sydney suggests can boost energy output by up to 107 per cent during peak periods by keeping panels cooler. Cummins says the business case rests on projected energy payback periods of three to four years, roughly half the industry norm. But he is careful to frame these as forecasts. “We don’t make claims that haven’t been proven, which is part of our value system,” he says. “At the moment it’s all theory. We need to build it and then do the testing.” ▲ Future Property Group founder and managing director David Cummins. Future Property Group is chasing certification under the Living Building Challenge, which requires 12 months of operational data. Just 21 Australian projects are currently registered. Cummins brings two decades of hospital construction experience to the venture, most recently as national director of construction at Healthscope and previously as health development manager for Centuria Capital Group. That background informs his evidence-based approach to tackling what he sees as construction’s innovation deficit. The property sector contributes roughly 40 per cent of global carbon emissions, a statistic Cummins believes is market failure rather than inevitability. Construction invests less than 1 per cent in research and development, making it one of the least innovative industries globally, he says. The company has assembled a project team that includes Hames Sharley architects, sustainability consultants Arup and UTS researchers Professor Sara Wilkinson and Dr Peter Irga. It holds what it says is a global patent for its biosolar roof design. Developers wanting to pursue nature-positive certification must use approved materials from a Green List, treat all water onsite and demonstrate genuine ecological benefit. The standards are demanding, which is why the company spent three years on development before moving to construction. “If you rush, there’s risk” Most developers prioritise speed and cost above all else, Cummins says, so he has flipped the model, making sustainability the top priority, followed by quality, then cost, and speed last. It’s taken time, but the longer runway reduces overall project risk, he says. “If you rush, there’s risk. If you plan, it’s near perfect,” he says. ▲ Green walls and roofs reduce urban heat, improve air quality and provide biodiversity habitat when properly maintained, Professor Sara Wilkinson says. Maintenance concerns have derailed previous green building projects. Sydney’s One Central Park, for example, has struggled with the upkeep of its vertical gardens. Cummins recognises this as a potential barrier, so the company is targeting clients with existing maintenance capacity—caravan parks, eco-villages and mining operations that already employ grounds staff. The business model starts with business-to-business sales. Caravan parks offer a testing ground with low barriers to modular construction and diverse short-stay users who will provide varied feedback for the UTS research study. Private developers, mining towns and Indigenous communities have expressed interest and state governments, particularly South Australia, have responded positively. Beyond the bungalows Residential sales will begin in late 2027 or 2028 when Future Property Group launches its own developments. This timeline would allow for integration of two additional technology streams currently under development: structural insulated panels made from natural materials and an off-grid energy system Cummins says will be a “gamechanger”. “We have three streams toward reducing the carbon footprint,” Cummins says. “The eco villages are phase one. The structural panels and energy system are coming—probably some time in 2028.” Arup has forecast that 100 nature-positive home units could reduce carbon emissions by roughly 300 tonnes annually based on the biosolar roof system and oxygen production from vegetation, though Cummins says this remains “an aim that still requires empirical proof”. The company has kept a low profile during development. Cummins has self-funded the venture to avoid investor pressure compromising the sustainability-first approach. Delete The market response has surprised him. “I always thought it was just me wanting to change the world but I was surprised by how many people wanted to be part of this journey when given the opportunity,” he says. “I think given that opportunity, people jump at the chance to do better and be more sustainable and green. Too often there are too many developers and leaders thinking too short-term and financial, not nature-positive and thinking for tomorrow. We want to change that.” But can it deliver? Research shows 70 per cent of consumers want environmentally beneficial homes, but scalable options remain scarce. The bungalows are “premium but all-inclusive”—sustainability comes standard, not as an extra-cost option. “The demand is there, but the options aren’t,” he says. “We just need to provide an option. As one client said the other day, ‘I’ve been looking for this for years. It doesn’t exist’.” Cummins says research is where the government and industry should be following. “Research is the key to this. Just like in medicine, we’ve got evidence to guide us versus opinion, ego or experience. Research will guide us. Education will guide us.” The Gawler prototype will provide the first real test of whether regenerative design can deliver commercial returns while genuinely reducing environmental impact. “I just think it’s important people know there is an alternative way to build,” Cummins says. “It might not be the traditional way, but if you have the right team, the right purpose and the right values to lead, anything is possible.”

Nature-Positive Housing Model Put to the Test in South Australia

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