An Australian building used as a pilot by the Green Building Council of Australia has won an international award for sustainability.
Bond University’s Mirvac School of Sustainable Development building won the 2009 Sustainability Award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the world’s premiere property and construction institute. All of the school’s programs are accredited by the institute and award winners at the annual competition are recognised as leaders in the industry.
Designed by Mirvac Design, the Sustainability School’s building was the brainchild of Professor George Earl, head of the school of Sustainable Development at Bond University.
“When we started building it I had particular features I wanted built into the building, it had to reflect complete sustainability,” said Earl.
“When I started the school all the programs were developed by myself and my team from the ground up. So I believed it was important that the new building of the school should reflect the vision of the school. We also wanted it to be a teaching tool, so a lot of the features are not hidden- they are exposed- so students can actually see how it is built and see sustainable design in action.”
"Along with providing a pilot for the Green Building Council of Australia, the building was the first higher education building in Australia to receive a six Star Green Design Rating.
The state of the art building has reduced emissions by 80 per cent for a building of its size (2,500 sqm), and produces 60 per cent of its power through solar energy. Its built-in intelligence aims to reduce waste, by preventing occupants from turning the air-conditioning on if the windows are open, meaning it operates on natural ventilation for most of the time.
The building’s windows are also orientated to reduce the amount of energy needed for lighting and climate control. ?
Even the lift is environmentally friendly, generating enough power for its up trip on the way down. In keeping with the sustainability theme, the materials used to build it were predominantly recycled, with all recycled timber and carpet, 70 per cent of the steel recycled and no PVC used in its construction.
Earl said that since the buildings completion last year there had been Australian and international interest in the building’s design with a number of other educational institutions building new facilities based on the school’s design. ?
“My understanding is that there are now six buildings being built or planned using these design principals in the buildings,” he said.
Even at Bond University, the principals of its sustainability are being incorporated into existing buildings being renovated and upgraded, said Earl.
The building’s construction also included work by ADCO, ARUP Sustainability, Bassett, Qantec McWilliam, Steve Paul and Partners, Waterway Solutions, Turner & Townsend Rawlinsons and McCarthy Consulting Group.
