Preston Crossing is designed so residents feel connected to their neighbours – building communities and creating spaces where residents can thrive. MAB’s approach was to prioritise community-building from the outset, even before construction began, and engaged future residents early, encouraging interaction and shared experiences. The design goes beyond mere housing, it offers a living environment where people can truly thrive together.

Regular resident meetups were arranged as part of the resident engagement process after sales contracts were signed. Other engagement initiatives included an in-person site walk at the start of construction, a topping-out ceremony, and regular online catchups gave future residents confidence in the construction journey and a chance to get to know one another as their community incubated.

Preston Crossing is designed for people to come together, in fact, dwellings are only sold to owner occupiers and Community Housing Providers, not investors, fostering strong communities from the start. Featuring generous communal spaces, productive gardens, shared outdoor spaces, landscaped laneways, a pocket park, an art gallery, a children’s art teaching space, and a large café with generous outdoor seating – all of which invite interaction between neighbours, and the broader community – to develop a sense of community, and build long lasting friendships.

The thoughtful, innovative and community-centric design creates opportunities for connection and sets a new standard for designing not just buildings, but vibrant living communities.