Beyond the functional role architecture and design play in the modern world, there is a lot to be said about the power of mindfully designed edifices to express an organisation’s purpose, values and ambitions. In the case of Electrolux’s new Victorian facility, this link couldn’t be any more evident.
A mere 25 minutes from the Melbourne CBD, the company’s new Ravenhall site houses service and distribution for Victoria across its impressive 19,500 m2 footprint. The progressive development is located in the flourishing, culturally diverse and well-connected area of Melton – which is also the centre of gravity between Electrolux’s port facilities and the company’s retail partners. Five years in the making, the newly opened site is a significant advancement of the company's long-standing commitment to sustainability, an indication of how its role within the business is shifting – and a fitting expression of where the international appliances leader is headed.
Derek Haley, Electrolux’s Director Growth and Operations ANZ explains that the intent behind the Ravenhall site signifies one of the biggest changes the company has experienced in recent years. “Sustainability has always been an incredibly important part of our organisation,” Derek explains, pointing to Electrolux’s zero-waste certified manufacturing facility in Dudley Park, Adelaide, which has been powered by over 2000 solar cells for the better part of the last ten years, as an example. “The difference is that now it has broadened from product and factory-led initiatives, to a more comprehensive notion that touches on every facet of the business.”
This shift is reflected in the radically considered design of the new facility which sets a new, globally recognised level of best practice where sustainability is concerned. Derek explains that this important undertaking saw the international appliances giant completely change the way they looked at design. “We flipped our way of thinking,” Derek recounts. “In the past, we may have started with how efficient a site should be. With Ravenhall, we started with sustainability and employee safety, recognising that efficiencies would flow naturally as an outcome.”
This clear focus – a pure reflection of the decision-making informed by the premise of shaping living for the better, which is the company’s purpose – meant that the team knew that they wanted the new facility to achieve a 6 Star energy rating. In order to attain that, the project had to demonstrate utmost compliance and stewardship in all facets of design, build, use and waste management, alongside a sharp focus on reducing emissions and capitalising on the use of natural resources. How has this ambition manifested in practice?
“The facility is equipped with additional insulation, thicker glass, as well as thicker panelling which helps reduce noise,” Derek starts by mentioning foundational elements he considers quite standard. “Ravenhall also has a very strong focus on lighting. We try to run on natural light within the office and across the whole warehouse, which is supported by the use of specialised LEDs that will only turn on when there's not enough light in the area, which minimises the use of energy across the site. Plus, none of the lights are pointed upwards which reduces the light pollution, too.”
The design of the building reduces the load on the air conditioning systems, as well as allows Electrolux to capture and reticulate substantial amounts of rainwater, which then gets used throughout the facility for landscape irrigation, toilet facilities – and to test appliances Electrolux repairs on site. “We've absolutely minimised the amount of potable water that we're taking out of the water network,” Derek sums up. Compared to a standard project of the same size, the Ravenhall facility will save 3,382kL per year of mains potable water that would otherwise be used - that’s an equivalent of 1.35 Olympic swimming pools.
But rainwater isn’t the only way Electrolux’s new facility harvests the power of nature. 200 solar panels are expected to generate approximately 250,000kWh of electricity per year, catering to over 80% of the electrical requirements for the facility. Again, compared to a similar project without solar panels installed, that’s a staggering saving of 475,000kWh per year – an amount that could be equated to removing approximately 180 cars from the road every year. Speaking of cars, there are electric car chargers at the site, too.
“The facility is built for the future,” Derek smiles. “We've even built cabling into the floor to get ready for electric trucks when they come. One day, when Australian infrastructure catches up, you'll be able to backtrack onto the dock, plug it in and charge while we're loading the truck.” While that might take a while, by February next year, the site will see its forklift fleet completely electrified and chargeable with solar energy. “They will significantly reduce the amount of dust and noise, as well as handle the product better, which will be good for our people, good for the product – and good for the environment.”
Mirroring the commitment to harnessing natural resources and reducing emission and energy use, is the new facility’s focus on waste reduction with the site recycling up to 90% of waste not recycled at the construction stage. “All of the foam packaging gets pressed up and gets re-used, and all of the soft plastics and cardboard are recycled, too,” Derek mentions and adds that by the end of the year Ravenhall is set to joining the ranks of Electrolux’s Dudley Park manufacturing plant, by becoming the company’s first distribution centre to be Zero Landfill certified.
Alongside this clear passion to drastically reduce the amount of materials that end up in landfill to under 1%, the innovative design of the site has been engineered to prioritise employee safety and wellbeing. The facility boasts personal proximity sensors that alerts the forklift drivers of the presence of people in the vicinity, fall protection integrated into the loading docks and integrated truck coupling to ensure loading docks are secure before trucks can move – all in the bid to create a more sustainable work environment. “In that sense, Ravenhall is dramatically different to anything we have done before, and the design of the new facility significantly reduces any risk of injury,” Derek says. “You need to be looking after your people as well as the planet.”
An extension of this people-centric approach is also expressed through Electrolux’s commitment to fostering collaborative and meaningful partnerships in order to advance their vision of a more sustainable future. The Ravenhall site is, once again, an important reflection of that because bringing it to life was only possible thanks to like-minded partners driven by the same goals, aspirations and passions.
“The Melton Council has been incredibly supportive, which has helped ensure that the infrastructure is built for eight triple trucks which brings significant savings from an energy efficiency perspective and from traffic management perspective,” Derek says. He adds that both Dexus and JLL, Electrolux’s partners on the project, have been absolutely instrumental in bringing the sustainable vision to life, and ensuring that even during the construction stage, the project generated a significant fossil fuel reduction of 80% compared to other projects of this size.
“Electrolux’s agenda is much broader, and rather than focusing internally, we’re looking outwards,” Derek says. “We’re looking to partner with organisations and companies to shape a better industry, and a better world. Achieving that isn’t something you can do on your own.”
Loyal to their purpose of shaping living for the better, Electrolux has been reinventing taste, care and wellbeing experiences for millions of people around the world for over a century. And with their continuously expanding focus on sustainability, now firmly anchored in the idea of meaningful partnerships, the international organisation is set to redefine not only how consumers can make better life choices, but how companies can work together to create a better, more sustainable future.
