1 BLIGH STREET, SYDNEY

1 Bligh Street submitted by Architectus + Ingenhoven Architects.

The client brief was to design and deliver the next generation office building demonstrating the building owners’ commitment to sustainability and green building innovation.

The detailed brief included that it would be a highly sustainable building with a high quality indoor environment, large floorplates, and minimum distances to daylight.

Some particular challenges included shading the building whilst enabling views to the harbour.  The fully glazed double skin façade with automated venetian blind system was specifically developed to optimise amenity for the occupants - maintaining views whilst providing optimum daylight levels and solar control.

Another challenge was changing market perceptions towards naturally ventilated work spaces in high-rise office buildings.

INITIATIVES

  • 1 Bligh’s high performance façade has been specifically developed for its surrounding climate. The fully glazed double-skin façade, which has a ventilated cavity, is resistant to the summer sun and allows for operation of external blinds under all weather conditions along with access to views
  • 1 Bligh’s 6 Star Green Star rating score is the highest awarded in NSW and includes the maximum allowable five points for innovation in categories such as environmental design initiative and exceeding Green Star benchmarks.
  • Double skin glass facade
  • Naturally ventilated atrium
  • 40 per cent recycled concrete
  • 90 per cent steel with 50 per cent recycled content
  • FSC certified timber
  • Recycled timber
  • Solar Cooling
  • Tri-generation
  • Black water treatment
  • Rainwater harvesting
  • Sewer mining
  • Solar thermal collectors inject high temperature energy into a solar cooling system, providing enough energy to allow 100 per cent more fresh air to be pumped through the building without any additional running costs whilst providing all the heating for the building.
  • A black water recycling system, recycled rain water for irrigation, gas generated energy for cooling, heating and electricity also contribute to 1 Bligh Street’s environmental rating.
  • 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 Certified Rating (Green Building Council of Australia)
  • 6 Star Green Star – Office As Built v2 Certified Rating (Green Building Council of Australia)

YARRAWONGA PILOT SUSTAINABLE REFURBISHMENT 

Yarrawonga Pilot Sustainable Refurbishment submitted by Breathe Architecture

The brief was to design a sustainable refurbishment to set a new benchmark at Monash University. The project is to function not only as new offices but also as a demonstration to other faculties on how they might best execute a similar project.

In this case, the task was to refurbish an existing portable office building that had been relocated from Yarrawonga to the Clayton Campus in the early 80’s.

Located on the fringe of the campus lends to this idea of being forgotten, the issues were not just at an human or architectural scale, but also at a more encompassing urban scale.

With a considerable internal floor area of approximately 340square metres, the Yarrawonga Building houses a formal meeting room which is flanked by collaborative open office and private office spaces to the more private south end and informal meeting areas, reception, kitchen and breakout spaces to the more public north.

The main concept of the space was the idea of a caravan- a temporary building, which in some cases evolves into a more permanent structure with the addition of the annexe and flyover. These design initiatives greatly reduce the heat load of the existing portable building during the warmer months as it creates a second skin to the built form.

The west & east elevations of the façade of this flyover have been clad with a reinforcing mesh for climbers to grow upon – providing shade to the existing building during the warmer months.

There is a sprinkler system intended for the climbers which will further assist with cooling, by the way of evaporative cooling. This living, green façade or ‘Green Sleeve’ in tandem with the shading provided by the roof are key passive techniques to reducing heat load on the building.

Internally, the building’s thermal performance was poor; it was for this reason that Breathe decided to insert a ‘Green Sleeve’ internally. This meant retaining the existing external wall, floor and roof structure, creating another insulation cavity and lining it with recycled floorboards & Masonite panelling.

INITIATIVES

  • Passive solar design – reduce heat gain on existing building in summer by building secondary shading roof over existing building. The walls of this structure are lined with reinforced steel mesh for vines to grow and to establish a ‘green sleeve’ to shade the western façade from the warm afternoon sun. This ‘green sleeve’ also helps deal with the radiant heat that is emitted from the adjacent car park.
  • Natural day lighting – encourage natural daylight penetration by installation of north facing glazing as well as office areas receiving filtered light during summer and increased daylight during winter through ‘Green Sleeve’(reducing electricity demand for artificial lighting).
  • Cross ventilation – design of open plan spaces with shared meeting spaces with shaded windows to promote air movement.
  • Super insulation - secondary insulation skin to the walls, ceiling and floor. Entry has been pushed out external of existing building to provide an airlock.
  • New products specified contain low embodied energy by using recycled materials and materials close to their natural state. Use of unnecessary finishes such as chrome and paint were avoided where possible, reducing the embodied energy involved in manufacturing of products.
  • Off the shelf products used in conjunction with simple pre-fabricated construction techniques – the portal frame was assembled in a factory, reducing wastage and was transported to site, travelling less than 11km.
  • Hydronic heating radiators installed throughout building with a highly efficient Gas boosted water supply.
  • Energy Efficient Compact Fluorescent lighting in conjunction with space sensors and a master switch.
  • Sustainable transport – bike parking for 14 bicycles on entry ramp with 8 additional bike parks occupying what were two car parking spaces.
  • Rainwater harvesting – 5 x 1000 litre water tanks supply toilets & landscaping irrigation
  • Double glazing – Sliding Perspex panels installed inside existing windows to provide affordable double-glazing solution.
  • Low toxicity materials – no glues used on this project (nail & screw fixings only) wax finish to floors, zero VOC paint made in Australia from recycled engine oil.
  • Recycled Carpet Tiles – Donated to the project, these used carpet tiles where fixed to provided acoustic attenuation in certain areas as well as serve as pin boards for the office spaces.
  • Local plantation timbers – Australian Masonite and Weathertex wall linings, pine framing, & formply / plywood benchtops.
  • Local Recycled & Remilled Timbers – Recycled Tasmanian Oak and Brushbox used for flooring, which came from 5 demolished house lots and 1 Gymnasium. Remilled Blackbutt decking and ramp installed without finish.
  • Furniture has been re-used from other sites on campus as well as the use of GECA certified task chairs made locally.
  • Reduction of wastage by monitoring waste to landfill.
  • Billi ‘Eco’ Chilled and Boiling water system installed in the kitchen.
  • A preliminary Green Star Rating was undertaken by ‘The Office of Environmental Sustainability’ of Monash University showing the project with 5 Stars.
  • Perspex sliders were fitted internally to all existing large sliding windows, as a low-tech double-glazing system.
  • The building is naturally cooled via cross ventilation and wall mounted fans. This is augmented by a thermostatically controlled air conditioning system that only operates when the internal temperature reaches 27°.
  • Melbourne is a city for which the majority of the year is actually cooler. It is for this reason that all these insulative qualities of the building also act to retain heat that is within the building envelope during winter. The space is heated via Hydronic heating radiator panels and a high efficiency boiler.
  • Due to the restrictive budget, priority was given to using passive, efficient and affordable heating and cooling solutions that not just perform and respond to the local environment, but also inform, educate and provide precedence for how we should approach design and sustainability into office spaces.

AUSGRID LEARNING CENTRE

Ausgrid Learning Centre submitted by DEM (Aust)

The brief for the learning centre facility was to fulfil Ausgrid’s strategic goal of providing a centre of excellence that would offer a high quality and efficient educational environment for apprentices and teaching staff. It was to consolidate a number of Ausgrid facilities within a world leadership sustainable building, and cater for a variety of training, administration and corporate activities.

The siting and arrangement of buildings was made in response to solar access and prevailing winds.

The building configuration and architectural design were integrated with the mechanical services to minimise thermal loads on the building. Perimeter walkways, external louvres and awnings provide shading and minimise heat gain and glare. On the most exposed northern façade, shading is coupled with high performance glass. 

The project is the first in Australia to be awarded both a 6 Star Green Star Education Design v1 certified rating and an As Built v1 certified rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.

INITIATIVES

  • Energy demand management initiatives include:
  • a hollow concrete slab cooling system;
  •  a 260 photo-voltaic (PV) cell system with a maximum output of 51 kW; and  
  •  a gas fired tri-generation plant incorporating a 125 kVA combined heat and power unit and a 95kW absorption chiller used for the air-conditioning system. Heat rejection from the absorption chiller is achieved through the use of 55 geothermal bores beneath the facility which have been drilled up to 100 metres into the earth.
  • Rainwater, harvested and stored in a 150,000 litre capacity tank, is treated and re-used.
  • Grey water is collected, treated and used for toilet flushing and irrigation.
  • Incorporation of biofiltration swales and green roof. 
  • Provision of a Building Management and Control System.
  • Achieves high levels of recycled content in reinforcement steel, concrete and timber elements.
  • The sustainable design features have produced a building with approximately 60% less energy usage and 53% less water usage compared to a benchmark building.
  • Teaching and office areas utilise the thermal mass of the building to provide passive cooling. Hollow concrete slabs are used to absorb internal heat gains during the occupied period. The heat is then purged from the slab using cooler outside night air or by mechanical means. Alternatively, the slab is pre-cooled using cooler outside air or mechanical cooling.
  • A gas fired tri-generation plant.
  • 55 geothermal heat rejection bores.
  • The Energy Efficiency Centre, incorporating interactive displays, which is open to external visitors.
  • 10 electric vehicle charging stations.
  • Paints, carpets, adhesives and sealants were selected carefully to minimise emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
  • During construction more than 95% of demolition and construction waste generated onsite was recycled or reused. Recycled bricks, timber and steel were used in the building while workstations and equipment were 
  • reused from other Ausgrid premises.
  • Approximately 30% of aggregate used within the structure was replaced with recycled concrete or blast furnace slag to reduce the quantity of natural aggregates typically used in concrete.
  • Steel within the structure utilised approximately 70% post-consumer recycled content.
  • Sustainable timber was used extensively, combining Forest Stewardship Council Australia certified timber, and reused and recycled timber.

DARLING QUARTER

Darling Quarter submitted by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt)

Darling Quarter and Commonwealth Bank Place is the winning scheme in a competition held by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA). The scheme was successful for the urban design principles that reconnect the Sydney city centre to the site and the wider precinct, a focus on community initiatives to ensure precinct vitality and sustainable initiatives that exceeded the competition criteria.

Commonwealth Bank Place was designed to address a number of environmental initiatives - to reduce energy demand, increase indoor environmental quality, promote a more efficient use of water and resources and ultimately minimise the environmental impact from the whole-of-life of the building.

The previous development had a large under-used manmade lake that has been transformed into the community green and playground. Darling Quarter development has significantly increased the amount of open usable green space in Darling Harbour.

INITIATIVES

  • The building and fit-out are capable of achieving a 72 per cent reduction in carbon emissions in operation when compared to the average performance of typical existing office buildings in Australia.
  • A preliminary report by Arup monitoring data from October 2011 to February 2012 shows that Darling Quarter is on track to achieve a 65 per cent reduction when compared to a typical building.
  • The building envelope maximises the energy efficiency and thermal performance of the building, balancing the need for daylight penetration, external views, thermal comfort, glare and solar gain control. The high performance envelope enabled the use of chilled beams, a low-energy mechanical cooling system. The building also incorporates low carbon technologies such as tri-generation and solar panels for energy generation and efficient building systems.
  • Water efficiency is achieved through water efficient fixtures, water metering and leak detection systems. Rainwater is harvested through the roof and tanks sized to provide enough water for all WC flushing and irrigation in the public domain (saving 94 per cent potable water).
  • The Commonwealth Bank fitout was integrated with the base building design and construction to avoid material waste. There were also many sustainable innovations used in the fitout including Activity Base Working, a mini tri-gen system, media walls with sustainable data and low VOC                                             materials.
  • The building utilises virtually clear glass for west facing facades to achieve 62 per cent Visual Light Transmittance (VLT).
  • Blackwater system implements a fixed film (media based) biological treatment process, consisting of a moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) process combined with a membrane bio reactor (MBR). This is the first time this combined process has been implemented anywhere in the world.
  • Lighting: The LED digital façade lighting is one of the largest interactive canvases in the world. Façade lighting is offset by solar panels on theroof and use the equivalent of 4 vacuum cleaners to run.
  • Dynamic media walls display sustainable data such as energy consumptions, tri-generation output and sale of reusable coffee cups, encouraging the building’s occupants to actively participate in reducing their carbon footprint.
  • All timber on the project was either FSC, PEFC or AFS certified. In particular, the solid timber elements internally and externally were FSC whilst internal veneers and panels were AFS certified. The timber blinds were PEFC certified.

Image courtesy of John Gollings

BRISBANE MARKETS FRESH CENTRE

Brisbane Markets Fresh Centre submitted by Wiley & Co

The degree of environmental management Wiley underwent during this project came down to one critical and early decision: to recycle and renovate the building in the face of what may have been considered the cheaper and easier alternative of demolishing the entire structure and starting from off a plan.

The existing building had some inherent problems as it was constructed almost fifty years ago and was designed with a very different objective in mind.

However once the decision was made to refurbish the building, an intensive process of evaluation and design was initiated to identify the weaknesses of the building from a sustainability point of view and take steps to address each area.

INITIATIVES

  • Wiley engaged the services of Veolia to manage the collection, sorting and recycling of all construction materials.
  • A number of collection bins were located on site during the striping out phase to allow for materials to be sorted on site prior to removal.
  • A mechanically operated natural ventilation system was installed which would cool the ground floor concourse area and level (1) common areas naturally when external conditions were suitable.
  • Motorised louvres were installed at the tops of these shafts and louvres of a corresponding area inserted into the northern and southern elevations and were connected to an automated sensory system that allows the louvres to respond to rain, wind, temperature and fire accordingly.
  • To achieve the functionality documented by the ESD consultant a system was implemented around a customised fire rated control panel allowing for the system to be used for both smoke exhaust and natural ventilation.
  • Integrated into the panel is a WRG weather station which monitors wind speed, wind direction and rain, there are also four temperature sensors used as part of the automation process. In the event of the external temperature exceeding the maximum external temperature threshold or being less than the minimum external threshold the louvres will not open.
  • Adjustable time scheduling is available to the tenants along with the measurement of refrigerant usage for each fan coil unit for energy billing purposes.
  • An efficiency review and overview of the system by SEED
  • To counteract any potential echo-chamber effects, 2,900m2 of laser cut acoustic panels were installed in the ceilings and bulkheads, helping to absorb the noise of the busy office and public areas and create a more comfortable working environment.
  • A 22,500 litre in-ground storage tank was installed to capture roof rainwater for toilet flushing and irrigation for 636m2 of new garden bed which includes 73 mature trees and 2,663 shrubs and ground covers.
  • Three park bays were provided with recharging facilities for to encourage the use of electric powered forklifts and other vehicles.

2 VICTORIA AVENUE

2 Victoria Avenue submitted by Woodhead

The brief of the project was to convert an existing carpark into a commercial office building.

The Architects challenged the typology of office space within Perth's CBD and set about creating large, flexible floor plates to accommodate the eventual tenant. Through collaboration and close engagement with the full consultant team the architects minimised the floor to floor height of the building, enabling an additional full floor level to be accommodated within the planning development policy framework.

The building was designed to maximise flexibility of floor space on each level. The location of the cores on the perimeter enabled the typical floor level to be divided into 1, 2, 3 and 4 individual tenancies.

Over 75 per cent of all floor space is less than 8m from the perimeter, maximising natural light and available outlook. The floor plate also ensures that the premium views along Victoria Avenue and south over Terrace road to the Swan River are preserved.

The completed building exceeded the design brief and is the first in Western Australian to achieve a 6 star Green Star Environmental design rating and a 5 star + 20per cent CO2 reduction NABER Energy rating. The project achieved a 5 star GBCA As Built rating.

INITIATIVES

  • Enhanced access to natural daylight through high performance glazing.
  • Glass lifts to maximise natural light penetration into the office space.
  • Increased fresh air rates through chilled beam airconditioning and ventilation system.
  • Appropriate lighting levels (less than 400 lux) and high frequency ballasts to reduce head aches due to glare and low level flicker.
  • Carbon dioxide monitoring to enable continual high levels of fresh air.
  • Tenant exhaust riser to capture the pollutants from the printing and photocopying areas.
  • A green tenant fitout which incorporates materials with high sustainability credentials.
  • Bike racks and shower/change room facilities for employees to encourage riding or walking to work.
  • Significant consideration was given to the structural grid of the building to ensure that efficient and adaptable workplace standards could be applied accommodating flexible open plan configurations, cellular office layouts or a combination of both.
  • Office lighting is zoned to allow for individual switching of small areas, and as such the lighting can be re-arranged and programmed as necessary to suit the tenant’s requirements.
  • The active chilled beam units can be moved/added to, to suit the tenant’s requirements.
  • Electrical sub-metering is provided for each floor to enable energy monitoring by tenants.
  • Provision made for additional wind turbines should the initial installation of 3 wind turbines be successful.
  • Ventilation rates - 50 per cent increase on fresh air rates on AS 1668.2-1991.
  • Air change effectiveness greater than 0.95 to enhance occupant comfort.                  
  • Carbon dioxide monitoring and control.
  • Daylight glare control - active louvres on the western facade to reduce light & heat ingress.
  • High frequency ballasts installed in fluorescent luminaires over a minimum of 95per cent of the tenancy’s Net Lettable Area to avoid low level flicker.
  • Office lighting levels less than 400 lux over a minimum of 95per cent of the Net Lettable Area to reduce discomfort and strain for occupants.
  • 60per cent of Net Lettable Area has direct line of site through vision glazing.
  • Thermal modelling to optimise comfort levels.
  • Internal noise levels monitored for noise intrusion from outside and building services.
  • 95 per cent of all painted surfaces use low-VOC paints. All carpets, adhesives and sealants are specified as low-VOC.
  • Low formaldehyde emission from composite wood products.
  • Dedicated tenant exhaust riser.

Image courtesy of Martin Farquarson