From a Former School to a Sustainable Community: A Feng Shui Review of OneOneFive Hamilton Hill
中文版：请参阅本博客内同主题的中文文章。
By Master You | Feng Shui Master You
This is not a diagnosis of one individual home. It is a public, project-level observation of OneOneFive Hamilton Hill, considering the site's history, regional setting, landform, planning structure and Form School Feng Shui.
1. Project overview: from a former school to a residential community
OneOneFive Hamilton Hill is a DevelopmentWA residential project on the former Hamilton Senior High School site in Hamilton Hill, Western Australia. DevelopmentWA acquired the land in 2018 and progressed demolition, remediation and staged redevelopment. The approximately 12-hectare project is planned for up to 300 homes and about 2 hectares of public open space.
2. The former Hamilton Senior High School
Hamilton Senior High School opened in 1962 and closed in 2017. It was subsequently amalgamated with South Fremantle Senior High School, with Fremantle College opening in 2018. The former campus included teaching buildings, sports areas, internal roads, parking and extensive hard surfaces. Following closure, the site moved through demolition and remediation before residential development.
From an environmental and Feng Shui perspective, a former land use should not be labelled automatically as auspicious or inauspicious. The more useful questions are whether the land has been properly remediated and whether the new roads, dwellings, drainage, vegetation and public spaces establish a stable and coherent relationship.
3. Hamilton Hill within metropolitan Perth
Hamilton Hill is in Perth's south-western metropolitan area, close to Fremantle and within the City of Cockburn. It is neither a CBD-style high-density centre nor a remote greenfield suburb. It is an established and culturally diverse residential area undergoing continued renewal.
The 2021 Australian Census recorded approximately 11,327 residents and a median age of 39 in Hamilton Hill. The suburb reflects a long European migration history and a diverse contemporary population, while also attracting families and residents drawn to the Fremantle lifestyle. This established social setting can support a new neighbourhood, provided the development responds sensitively to the scale and character of surrounding streets.
4. Is the site really on a hill?
The name Hamilton Hill can suggest a conventional mountain setting. A more accurate description is an elevated and undulating coastal dune landscape with local ridges and meaningful changes in level. OneOneFive also contains substantial internal level differences, requiring roads, retaining structures, terraces and split-level building responses.
Form School Feng Shui does not judge a site by elevation alone. It considers whether the land provides support, whether roads and water move in an orderly way, whether the front of a home has an appropriate open space, and whether environmental energy can arrive, settle and circulate. An exposed high point may be windy and dispersive, while a low point may suffer from dampness or poor drainage. Neither 'high land' nor 'a view' is sufficient for a positive conclusion.
5. Positive foundations in the masterplan
Public planning material indicates several constructive principles:
• The street and precinct layout responds to existing level changes instead of flattening the entire site.
• Mature trees are retained where possible and connected with public landscape.
• Walking routes, play areas and community open space support everyday activity.
• Water-sensitive urban design integrates stormwater, surface flows and planting.
• A mix of housing types can support a broader range of households.
These approaches align with traditional principles such as responding to the land, sheltering wind and allowing beneficial activity to gather. In contemporary terms, qi can be read through the combined movement of wind, light, people, views, roads, water and daily use.
6. Form and landform issues to watch
First, sloping streets can create a strong downward movement. Where a road and lot lack turns, planting, a front garden or an entry threshold, movement may arrive quickly and leave just as quickly. It is important to distinguish between chong (direct impact) and xie (outflow or leakage). A higher incoming road aimed at a lower dwelling may create direct pressure; where the dwelling is higher and the road or junction falls away, the concern may instead be the outward drainage of water, attention and environmental momentum.
Second, a T-junction cannot be assessed from the plan shape alone. Road levels, approach direction, speed, the relative elevation of the home, front-door location, landscape buffer and actual sightlines all matter. The same T-form may function as direct pressure, downward leakage, guided approach or simply a framed view under different conditions.
Third, retaining walls and terraces should not create physical or visual oppression. A high wall close to a home can reduce light, block outlook and compress usable space. A dwelling near the edge of an elevated platform may instead require careful attention to wind, safety and the sensation of falling away. Building, retaining, planting and drainage should be designed as one system.
Fourth, compact lots require a clear entry and a usable bright hall. Where density increases, driveways, garages, pedestrian entries and neighbouring buildings can compete. The formal front door should remain visible and supported. If a family normally enters through the internal garage pedestrian door, that route should also be bright, orderly and buffered, with a clear connection to the main living areas.
Fifth, edges near major traffic corridors such as Stock Road need layered responses to noise, wind, privacy and air quality. Landscape should do more than conceal a view; it should create depth, separation and a maintainable environmental buffer.
7. Feng Shui recommendations for the wider development
1. Terrace with the land: use graduated levels, gentler transitions and stepped platforms to reduce harsh cuts and rapid downward flow.
2. Slow and collect movement: use tree groups, landscape nodes, paving changes and offset entries at slopes, bends and junctions.
3. Give water a clear destination: drainage should be legible, maintainable and integrated with landscape, without persistent dampness below homes or along boundaries.
4. Protect the residential threshold: each home should retain a recognisable and moderately open arrival space rather than allowing the driveway, garage door or retaining wall to dominate.
5. Provide support behind: on sloping land, rear levels, retaining and built form should create stability without becoming oppressive.
6. Connect public landscape: parks, paths, play areas and mature trees should operate as a network rather than isolated decorative pockets.
7. Assess individual lots separately: level differences, road approaches, T-junctions, orientation and entry position vary across the estate. One judgement cannot be applied to every home.
8. Development progress and future observation
DevelopmentWA's published information shows that OneOneFive remains a staged project. Some infrastructure and landscape works are complete, while further housing, landscape and Stage 3 works continue through planning and delivery. Timelines and plans may change, so purchasers and designers should confirm the latest masterplan, lot levels, design guidelines, retaining and drainage information before making decisions.
Conclusion
The significance of OneOneFive Hamilton Hill is not only the conversion of a former school into housing. Its success depends on how a site with history, mature trees and substantial level changes is reorganised into a stable, liveable and connected neighbourhood. The project has positive foundations in sustainable landscape and public-space planning. At the individual-home level, however, the lived result will depend on the precise combination of road and lot levels, entry sequence, open space, retaining, drainage and internal circulation.
A public article can explain the wider setting, but it cannot replace a focused assessment of a specific lot and house design.
Sources and image credits
Disclaimer: This article is a general environmental and Feng Shui observation based on publicly available information. Planning, engineering and sales information may change. It is not architectural, structural, drainage, planning, legal, investment or site-specific Feng Shui advice.
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