Celebration at Uniting on Second, Bowden

Kennett are excited to be working with UnitingSA to deliver their newest 8-storey community housing development – Uniting on Second in Bowden and this week, together with the Uniting SA team, members of state and federal government, our consultants and invited guests, we celebrated the topping out of the building structure.

Topping out is a Scandinavian tradition where a tree is raised by crane to the top of the structure to celebrate construction reaching it’s highest point and bring good luck and success to the building and its occupants. Over 70 guests came together to celebrate the milestone, including the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion and Senator Karen Grogan. Uniting on Second is delivering 70 affordable apartments for low to moderate income earners and includes 4 SDA apartments for people with disabilities. Supported by the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), the project is also targeting a 5 Star Green Star rating for sustainability.

These apartments are Kennett’s pilot project for the Buildings as Material Banks (BAMB) initiative, promoting circular construction through material reuse at the end of a building’s life. Materials being tracked in this project include precast concrete panels, structural steel and solar panels. These components are physically labelled with a QR code during construction to enable identification and re-certification before re-use in another building. Guests took the opportunity to view the QR codes in situ and “autograph” one of the first precast panels to utilise this new strategy.

Completion is expected in early 2026.