New South Wales Government
Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

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3. Our sustainable future
4. Our green buildings

Our green buildings

As an organisation with Australia's first 5 Star Green Star Office Design rating for a heritage-listed building and Sydney's first 6 Star Green Star building under its belt, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is leading the green revolution.
 
Integral to its sustainability strategy is the Authority's pledge to the Green Star Business Partnership to adopt a minimum Green Star rating for all new buildings and major refurbishments. The Authority is one of only 10 landowners, property developers and investors to become signatories to the partnership.

88 George Street

To make The Rocks' 100 heritage-listed buildings ‘green' was, for many years, thought to be impossible without destroying their value. However one of the great virtues of these buildings is that they were built to last, with thick walls to keep the heat in during winter and out in summer, and large operable windows for natural ventilation.

The Authority expected the refurbishment of 88 George Street to score a four star rating, however with some relatively simple changes including improved lighting and the provision of bicycle storage facilities, the building achieved Australia's first 5 Star Green Star Office Design rating in December 2007. Those changes were not considerably expensive and the rating added a 5 per cent premium to the $7 million project budget.

The building's large windows provide natural light, and its open-plan design means no worker will be more than 12 metres from a window. Reopening these windows has allowed for a mixed-mode form of air conditioning. Other sustainable initiatives include:

• tenant sub-metering of water and energy
• use of low-organic-compound paints, sealants and adhesives
• air exhaust risers in every tenancy to help eliminate indoor air pollutants
• linking the air conditioning system to the future district cooling system which will exchange heat between buildings in The Rocks and the harbour and negate the need for cooling towers.

Workplace 6

The same philosophy has been applied to Workplace 6 at Darling Island in Darling Harbour. The Authority initially targeted a minimum 5 Star Green Star rating for this third stage of the Darling Island development and included this as a tender requirement.

The Authority negotiated improved sustainability outcomes through the tender process and Workplace 6 has achieved a 6 Star Green Star rating awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia. The design includes a:

• harbour heat exchange system
• chilled beams for air conditioning
• co-generation plant for electrical energy
• black water recycling facility to provide for all the non-potable water needs of both the building and two hectares of surrounding parks.

Workplace 6 is being developed by property group GPT in conjunction with Citta property group.

Barangaroo

At Barangaroo, the Authority has an opportunity to plan a sustainable future for the 22-hectare former stevedoring site as a mixed use office, parkland and residential precinct.

In order to successfully deliver exceptional environmental and social sustainability outcomes for Barangaroo, the Authority will need to provide necessary support and leadership.

In particular it will need to focus on developing partnerships that:

• look beyond the boundaries of individual buildings and adopt a precinct-wide approach
• provide innovative and integrated infrastructure systems
• clearly understand the social needs and context of the site.