Australia has achieved its very first 5 Star Green Star – Performance rating signifying a new level of excellence.
The rating has been awarded to the 13-story Wollongong City administration building, which was first occupied in June 1987 housing 660 council staff.
In the last 10 years the council has introduced a range of building upgrades and management practices to improve the building’s sustainability performance, replacing ageing equipment to meet modern building compliance standards.
In 2014 a project began to improve the building’s operational performance, from a sustainability perspective, using the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star – Performance rating tool.
The upgrades and altered practices have resulted in energy efficiency gains of 55 per cent and water efficiency gains of 85 per cent, based on the Green Star – Performance rating tool’s calculations.
Council estimates that the energy efficiency gains alone in the building are saving $200,000 in electricity costs each year when compared to 2007/08 consumption.
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery said ensuring the sustainable operation of the administration building is a major step towards achieving environmental, financial and ecological sustainability.
“Asa council we recognise the equal importance of the three elements of sustainability to ensure a holistic outcome is achieved,” Cr Bradbery said.
“This is not just about gaining financial sustainability but ensuring that we have an efficient building that will consume less water and electricity, reduce the waste it generates and emissions it releases and also provide an enjoyable and healthy workplace for our staff.
“We have been able to retrofit an ageing building – remember it is coming up to 30 years old – to achieve these significant reductions. This demonstrates that you can gain a 5 Star Green Star rating with an ageing building if you use the right methods and programs. We have shown that this pathway to sustainability could be used by other local governments or government agencies.”
GBCA CEO Romilly Madew said the rating represents ‘Australian Excellence’ in building performance. “We applaud Council for taking the lead to demonstrate that investing in older buildings can deliver dividends – both in terms of environmental sustainability and efficiency,” she said.
The council is now developing a Sustainable Building Strategy which will guide how it improves the operational sustainability of existing buildings, in addition to how new buildings will be designed, constructed and operated.