4 green buildings that are leading the charge in Australia

Green building refers to both the structure and the implementation of environmentally responsible practices through out the buildings life. We've been tracking the momentous trend of green building both domestically and internationally, and below listed the four projects that put Australia on the green building map. 

1 Bligh Street

Located in Sydney's central business district, 1 Bligh Street is an ecologically sustainable development and has been awarded a six star green status. This buildings green features includes:

• A basement sewage plant - recycling 90% of the building's waste water
• Solar panels on the roof 
• Air conditioning by chilled beams 
• A full double-skin facade with external louvers - conserving energy and increasing comfort. These louvers automatically adjust according to the sun
• A full height, naturally ventilated atrium 

Pixel

Melbourne's Pixel, found at 205 Queensberry Street, Carlton is said to have pioneered new green building technologies in Australia. Pixel provides six star carbon neutral offices, the building was set up as a laboratory to test innovations and now provides the commercial building sector a prototype of offices of the future. 

A few of the green features:

• A sun shade system that lets natural light into the office whilst reducing glare and heat
• Generates its own electricity through the use of wind turbines 
• Tracking solar panels 
• Smart windows - opening on cool nights to flush the building with air to lower the temperature
• Both functional and aesthetic green spaces 
• Designed to be 100% water self-sufficient

Perth Arena

The Perth Arena is a green building which has won several architectural awards with its multi-facade design created to look different from every angle, differing from any other building designed for similar purposes. A few of the features contributing to this title are:

• Displacement ventilation
• Mixed-mode air conditioning
• Photo-voltaic cells on the ceiling 
• Natural light and cool air is filtered from underneath the seats
• Retractable roof for natural light 

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition center

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition center was the first convention center in the world to achieve a six star Green star rating. This impressive design has helped put Melbourne on the map as a true global player within the international events arena. Some of the building's green features include:

• A facade constructed of spectrally-selective glass, reducing heat gain 
• The facade is finished with a shading device - protecting from harsh summer sun but allowing passive solar heating in the cooler months 
• Solar hot water system 
• Innovative displacement ventilation system 

Exciting projects like these are becoming more popular with advancements in technology and with people becoming more environmentally aware and adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. Winning a green project is a chance to work on a potential architectural marvel, known world wide. Ensure you have the capabilities and know what is required from you to win a major project. We have put together an eBook with some useful tips for tendering to help you with your application.