Jobs boost from The Gurdies eco-homes

Bass MP Jordan Crugnale, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green and Ecoliv owner/director Ashley Beaumont. Photo: SUPPLIED

The Gurdies will soon be home to a new eco-home facility which is set to bring in 14 jobs to the area.

Bass MP Jordan Crugnale and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green announced their support of EcolivTM and the development of The EcoHub – Sustainable Living Centre and Off Grid Construction Facility located at The Gurdies.

“Backing Ecoliv’s project is a win-win for the region and The Gurdies community – boosting local manufacturing, creating more local jobs and bringing more visitors to this beautiful part of the Bass Coast,” Ms Crugnale said.

The EcoHub will showcase technologies for achieving a low carbon and ecologically sustainable approach to living for the future through prefabricated modular construction.

“It will be a place for people to see first-hand how to reduce water usage, energy consumption and waste to decrease the costs of living, make a home comfortable and how to reduce our impact on the environment,” EcolivTM founder and director Ashley Beaumont said.

The first of its kind in Australia, The EcoHub will showcase three prefab modular display homes including a new carbon positive home and an Off-grid Construction Facility in one single location.

This will increase production efficiencies, construction capacity and importantly support local employment growth to the Bass Coast and surrounding area.

“Many new homes built in Australia are oversized, energy intensive, have high running costs and have large carbon footprints. Our residential housing industry is ripe for disruption, innovation and improvement and the EcoHub can demonstrate and educate how we all can make small changes which collectively result in impacts on a global scale,” Mr Beaumont said.

A Regional Development Victoria grant will assist in transforming a previously baron industrial site into an Australian first, world-class facility that demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to creating positive change in the residential construction industry by inspiring innovation and improvement.

The grant will help accelerate the full project implementation forward by approximately 18 months.

The project is anticipated to support 14 jobs within the building and construction phase of the project.

On completion of the Off-grid Construction Facility, Ecoliv is exploring technologies in advanced offsite manufacturing via state-of-the-art automated construction systems to support State Government projects such as the 2026 Commonwealth Games Athletes Village and Workforce Accommodation projects.