|
|
 |
22 December 2008
The Gauge Officially Australia’s Greenest Building
The Gauge, the evolutionary workplace by Lend Lease at Victoria Harbour in Melbourne’s Docklands, is officially the country’s greenest building, after it became the first building in Australia to receive a 6 Star Green Star – Office As Built Certified Rating, from the Green Building Council of Australia.
This is a significant first for the industry and represents the highest accolade possible for green buildings in Australia after the Green Star rating system was introduced in 2003.
Lend Lease has now conceived and delivered both Australia’s first 5 Star Green Star – Office As Built building with its global headquarters 30 The Bond in Sydney and the first 6 Star Green Star - Office As Built building with The Gauge in Melbourne.
A 6 Star Green Star – Office As Built (v2) Certified Rating signifies that The Gauge, funded and owned by the Lend Lease managed, Australian Prime Property Fund (APPF) Commercial, has delivered on the promise of its design, for which it received a 6 Star Green Star – Office Design certification earlier this year.
Romilly Madew, Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia believes the certification of more 6 Star Green Star projects in Australia is sure to follow.
”The 6 Star Green Star – Office As Built rating achieved by Lend Lease for The Gauge is indicative of the continuing high standard of sustainable building practices being adopted within Australia. Not only will project teams from across the country be looking towards this project as an example of leading green building, but it will also receive recognition globally, and will join other projects in influencing the uptake of Green Star rating tools,” said Ms Madew.
Lend Lease CEO, Mr Steve McCann said: “This is an important milestone in the development of green buildings for Australia.
"The Gauge represents a quantum leap by achieving the 6 Star As Built outcome at a competitive cost through the implementation of cutting edge design. It is a first class investment asset and a building that tenants aspire to occupy. It is not an experiment and it is not a one-off design. We believe The Gauge will profoundly influence the mainstream property industry in Australia. It demonstrates that the highest level of environmental performance can be the norm rather than an ambition, as we continue to make real progress on this issue in the industry."
“One of our long term aspirations is for all buildings and communities we develop or manage on behalf of our investment partners to be independently rated to achieve green building status. Ultimately, we aspire to be zero net carbon, water and waste in the buildings we develop. The Gauge is an important step towards achieving that aim,” Mr McCann said.
The name “The Gauge” reflects the idea of measurement and, with the 6 Star Green Star – Office As Built rating, it now becomes the yardstick for industry to gauge its progress on environmental sustainability in new commercial developments.
The Gauge, located at 825 Bourke Street in Victoria Harbour, is a prime example of the Lend Lease integrated delivery model. It was developed by Lend Lease Development, with project and construction management by Bovis Lend Lease and architecture by Lend Lease design. It is owned by the Lend Lease managed APPF Commercial.
Construction of The Gauge commenced in early 2007 and was completed in April this year. Lend Lease consolidated its existing Victorian businesses at The Gauge in July; for the first time bringing Lend Lease Development, Bovis Lend Lease, Delfin Lend Lease, Vivas Lend Lease, Lend Lease Retail and Lend Lease Ventures to a single location in Victoria. The remainder of the building has been leased by Fujitsu.
Notes to Editors
 | The Green Building Council of Australia launched the Green Star environmental rating system for buildings in 2003. Green Star, which is recognised as Australia’s national environmental rating system, evaluates the green initiatives of building projects based on a number of criteria, including energy and water efficiency, indoor environment quality and resource conservation.
 |
| The Gauge responds to the two significant environmental challenges facing Australia, greenhouse gas emissions and water supply.
|
| It is anticipated that water saving initiatives in The Gauge’s design will reduce potable water consumption by a further 30 per cent when compared with existing typical 5 Star Green Star rated buildings, while the on-site gas fired cogeneration system and energy consumption reduction initiatives will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 30 per cent when compared to typical 5 Star Green Star buildings.
|
| Sustainability initiatives in The Gauge include a black water treatment plant recycling 92 per cent of water per year, a gas fired cogeneration system providing base building electricity and utilising waste heat for pre-heating air supply in winter months and domestic hot water. The building also utilises passive chilled beam cooling using water as a cooling mechanism, two full height atriums acting as a heat buffer and ‘chimney’ to extract warm air from the building, cyclist facilities with additional allowance for visitors, stormwater redirection to irrigate local landscaped areas and energy efficient shading on the building façade.
|
| The Gauge building and the Lend Lease interior reflects the principle that a workplace should be reflective of an organisation and its people and must be based on thorough research. The business plan, corporate culture and employee feedback are all key considerations that influence the changing nature of workplaces, as are broader social, business and geographic influences like the push for ‘green’.
|
| Workplaces have evolved from designing within the confines of a building’s shell to using a workplace environment to inform the building’s external architecture. The Gauge is the leading example of this approach in the Australian market.
|
| In May 2008, The Gauge achieved a 6 Star Green Star Certified Rating for its design, and in June it became the first building to receive the ESD Award of Excellence by VicUrban, which signifies World’s Best Practice in Ecologically Sustainable Development, under the Melbourne Docklands ESD Guide.
|
| In October The Gauge won the prestigious Charter Keck Cramer Property Development Award at the Australian Property Institute Excellence in Property Awards (Victorian Division). In November, The Gauge won the BPN Environ Sustainability Award in the Large Commercial category.
|
Lend Lease
Founded in Australia in the 1950s and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, Lend Lease is a leading real estate specialist which creates, enhances and manages real estate assets around the world. The Group's activities are primarily focused in the regions of Asia Pacific, Europe and the US, and cover over 40 countries on six continents.
Lend Lease operate three core businesses: project management and construction, property investment management and property development.
Lend Lease’s development business focuses on three key competencies – retail, communities and privatisation. Lend Lease operate an integrated business model and our earnings are well diversified by both market sector and geography.
Lend Lease is committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for all our stakeholders. We are passionate about the relationship between people and places and our role in building a legacy for future generations. We aim to do this safely, ethically and sustainably. stock exchange
|