The Commons was the building that inspired the Nightingale model and starting a movement in sustainable and community minded development in inner suburban Melbourne.

The Commons is a twenty-four unit residential development, with ground floor mixed uses, that was inspired by the ideology of creating a vertical community. The ambition was to create a livable multi residential project that was ecologically, financially and socially sustainable.

The building is car parking free and includes the following sustainability attributes:

• Recycled bricks from the original warehouse building on-site.
• Low-embodied energy fixtures and fittings.
• The timber facade is rated to last 50 years above ground without oiling or painting.
• Apartment layouts allowing for natural cross ventilation and including ceiling fans meaning no air-conditioning was necessary.
• A green facade along the north boundary providing shading and connection with nature.
• Internal finishes demonstrating low or no Volatile Organic Compounds.
• Double-glazed thermally broken windows and high quality seals.
• A communal a rooftop laundry; maximising apartment floor space and reducing energy costs but also providing for social cohesion.
• A communal rooftop terrace incorporating clotheslines, working veggie patches, solar panels, beehives, in addition to various areas to accommodate both large crowds and intimate gatherings.
• Located adjacent Anstey Train Station, Upfield Bicycle Path and Sydney Road trams.

The development has won numerous architecture and sustainability awards, with further information obtained through the Nightingale Website. Architects: Breathe Architecture.