On Thursday, January 13th we visited the 161 Castlereagh development site. Grocon, the largest private development and construction company in Australia, is in charge of this project. The company actually states in its company values principles like safety, sustainability, community, and innovation. The fact that sustainability is stated in their core values is a change from what we have seen so far from most developers in the US and Australia alike. The 50-level premium grade office building is zoned for mixed use, another commonality I've noticed during our trip so far. The proposed mixed use facility will incorporate floors for hospitality, food/beverage, loading dock, retail, office, and a 3-story penthouse. This type of design seems very functional in that the commercial tenants can market the convenience factor for its employees.
Due for completion in 2013, the facility has already achieved a Greenstar 5 rating as well as a NABERS 5 star energy rating. It has been explained to us that the NABERS rating deals solely with the water and energy performance of a building while the GBCA rating incorporates materials, design, innovation, and much more. The building has the potential to receive a 6 star rating due to all the sustainable initiatives that are planned.
Here are the sustainable initiatives Grocon highlighted:
-150% of the ventilation required by code
-High efficiency chillers supported by a 1200kw tri-generation plant with the excess heat used for heating water within the building
-Lighting will be automatically controlled by a timing system to reduce energy consumption
-Automatic blinds will be installed to control the amount of daylight and solar intensity
-Rain water will be harvested for irrigation
-95% of the waste produced through the demolition phase was recycled
-90% of the construction waste is targeted for recycling
It still amazes me that there are private companies that actually care about the impact they are having on the environment throughout the entire development process. If more companies had this focus and commitment, sustainable dwellings would just be the norm and not the exception. Companies like Grocon seem to be reshaping the nature of development.
30 The Bond (Sydney's Greenest Building)
On Thursday afternoon we visited 30 The Bond, which is considered to be one of the greenest buildings in Sydney. The building is special because it was completed around the same time that the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) was just being formed. Because of this fact, it serves almost as the "poster child" for sustainable development in the country. It was in essence a pioneer because the building was the first to achieve a 5 star rating. Read more at http://inhabitat.com/30-the-bond-sydneys-greenest-building/30-the-bond-bond-30-the-bond-sydneys-greenest-building-sydney-australia-green-building-sustainable-design-lend-lease-hickson-road-5-star-australian-building-greenhouse-rating-australian-ve-4/
Some of the key sustainable features I noticed were:
- The temperature of the building is mostly regulated through design and not the chilling system. There is a live rock wall on the east side of the building that is fitted with air flow pipes.
- Stair wells, which are made of organic metals, are positioned next to the lifts throughout the building which results in a 75% decrease in energy used to power the lifts.
- From a social aspect, Grocon provides open, well-aerated areas for meeting and work spaces.
- The top floor is an open bar area that overlooks the harbor and green roof.
- Grocon is continuing to evolve as they look to replace lighting that is currently mass controlled to a lighting system that can be controlled at each individual work station.
- The carpets are made of goat hair instead of synthetics that could cause allergic reactions.
- The air quality is superb in that germs that are expelled into the air are immediately excavated from the building before they can spread to other areas.
Personally, I haven't seen an office building and/or company that really incorporates the social, environmental, and economical aspects of sustainability better than Grocon has done with the 30 The Bond office.
