From woolstores to workspaces: Hamilton Group's sustainable transformation

When Cameron Hamilton’s parents started a publishing business in Geelong in 1995, they found it difficult to secure affordable office space. Recognising a gap in the market, David and Heather Hamilton bought a former woolstore in the Victorian port city and transformed it into Barwon Design Park. It was soon occupied by small businesses and community organisations, and a second site was acquired. Today, Hamilton Group manages 30+ properties, housing more than 250 organisations that employ almost 2500 people in the Geelong region.

“Back when we started out, I was in Year 10 and we ran the family business on a shoestring budget,” recalls Hamilton, who is now managing director. In the early days, he says, “I was the plumber and the general handyman. We used to joke: ‘If you can't afford to pay someone, get your family to do it.’”

Changing the landscape

From the beginning, Hamilton Group has focused on developing precincts rather than single properties. “We believe we can have a greater effect by impacting more buildings,” says Hamilton. “It means that we can really change an area, rather than just one individual building.”

He adds: “We've always had a vision of what Geelong could be if we preserve its old buildings. That is what we are striving for with every project.”

“We've always had a vision of what Geelong could be if we preserve its old buildings. That is what we are striving for with every project.”
- Cameron Hamilton, managing director, Hamilton Group

Initially, the company sought out the quickest and most cost-effective ways to renovate. But it later began to capitalise on the underlying value of the assets. “We focused on the intricacies of design in these industrial buildings, which many other buildings simply don’t possess,” says Hamilton.

Many of the woolstores have high ceilings, lots of natural light and exposed brickwork. “We decided to celebrate them rather than trying to compete with new builds, which all seemed fairly similar,” he says.

In many ways, Hamilton Group was ahead of its time. By prioritising reuse over the construction of new buildings, the group has embedded sustainable practices into each of its projects.

Last year, it secured a Business Green Loan from CommBank – a recognition of the company’s impact. “Hamilton Group has done such amazing work in supporting the community and revitalising some of the heritage buildings within our local Geelong region,” says Dominic Westendorf, General Manager (Victoria and Tasmania, Regional and Agribusiness Banking) at CommBank.

Efficiency on all fronts

One of the group’s standout projects is Federal Mills, a precinct that has won six awards for excellence in design and restoration (among them, a 2017 Geelong Heritage Award).

When it acquired the property in 2013, the thousand-square-metre former woollen mill had been collecting dust for more than a decade and was filled with old mattresses and car tyres. The group spent two years negotiating a suitable outcome for the site with City of Greater Geelong planning and the next seven years renovating and restoring it along with the Glasshouse next door. According to Hamilton, the site is now home to over 40 businesses, 1500 employees and about 40% of its energy needs are now met by solar.

“Hamilton Group has done such amazing work in supporting the community and revitalising some of the heritage buildings within our local Geelong region.”
- Dominic Westendorf, General Manager (Victoria and Tasmania, Regional and Agribusiness Banking) at CommBank

Federal Mills has been awarded 5.5 stars (of a possible six stars) under NABERS Energy, an independent rating system that reviews commercial buildings in Australia. “Typically, it's very difficult to get such a high rating for big, older buildings, because they just weren't designed with energy efficiency in mind,” says Hamilton.

“We believe it is a particularly good score because NABERS doesn't take into account the energy we save by not knocking down buildings and crushing up the concrete and so forth. If that was included in the calculation, I think we’d be at the very top.”

Runs on the board

Funds from the CommBank loan will be used across several Hamilton Group properties, including Federal Mills, Glass House and Henderson’s. The latter is a $20 million redevelopment of a former car components factory, located next door to Federal Mills and Glass House.

Westendorf says the NABERS rating was key to CommBank’s decision to grant a Business Green Loan. “The loan supports businesses to finance assets and initiatives that can reduce emissions, build climate change resilience and protect natural resources,” he says. “The funds can be used for an eligible asset or project, such as renewable energy, clean transport, energy-efficient assets or in this case, a green building upgrade.”

“The loan supports businesses to finance assets and initiatives that can reduce emissions, build climate change resilience and protect natural resources.”
- Dominic Westendorf, General Manager (Victoria and Tasmania, Regional and Agribusiness Banking) at CommBank.

For Hamilton Group, the loan provides important benefits. “It gives us a lot more flexibility to further invest in the greener aspects of the sites, which is often quite costly to do at the start,” says Hamilton. “It means that we can begin right away, rather than having to stop and refinance after we've got some runs on the board, in terms of getting leases in place and all the rest of it."

Supporting regional areas

CommBank has a dedicated Business Centre in Geelong focused on supporting local businesses such as the Hamilton Group. “We are proud to be supporting the Hamilton Group as they invest in the restoration of heritage icons throughout Geelong and finding alternative uses for these sites that suit current day needs,” says Melanie Forbes, Executive Manager (Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula), CommBank. “This morning, we walked through one of their next exciting projects being the conversion of an old milk bar/post office into a beautiful wine bar.”

For more than 100 years, CommBank has been supporting regional Australia, and investments are set to increase in coming years. “Many millions of Australians live in regional areas,” says Westendorf. “And in recent years there’s been a renaissance across regional Australia in terms of population flows and a desire to be based in the regions. In supporting all Australians, we need to support them where they live – and where they want to be in the future.”

“In supporting all Australians, we need to support them where they live – and where they want to be in the future.” - Dominic Westendorf, General Manager (Victoria and Tasmania, Regional and Agribusiness Banking) at CommBank.

Growth in the regions will be coupled with a continued need for infrastructure spending from the public and private sectors. CommBank will play a role in this, helping to facilitate that capital and enable the trajectory to continue.

“We're a big backer of regional Victoria, and also regional Australia,” says Westendorf. “And we're eager to partner with businesses in the regions who share the same goals and aspirations as we do for the continued growth and prosperity of our regions.”