30 Bond Building – Sydney, Australia

The 30 Bond is the first office building in Australia to receive a 5 star energy rating. 30 Bond is the most sustainable commercial building I’ve ever set foot in. We were provided with a tour by Matt Williams, who is a designer with Bovis Lend Lease. The most obvious feature you’ll notice is the massive sandstone wall built by early prisoners in Australia that was found during excavation. The stone wall captures heat from the first 4 levels and it also acts as an air duct out of the building. The chilled beam cooling system in the 30 Bond Building caught my curiosity. A chilled beam uses water to remove heat from a room. I’ve never seen this in the U.S., and I’m curious to know why we don’t use this system. However, my first assumption would be high initial costs of the system. If the cooling beam system is more expensive than a conventional cooling system, Owners who have a short term holding period would not care to go for the more expensive route since they would not see their return on investment. I do believe that private and government projects should implement the chilled beam system into their buildings. In addition, the building has automatic blinds that helps control the heat transfer into the building and natural ventilation. The building has a roof top garden with drought resistant plants. The building has 30% lower CO2 emissions than a typical office building. Matt pointed out that working in a sustainable building has encouraged him and his colleagues to practice sustainability in their own homes. 30 Bond was a very impressive commercial building displaying many sustainable elements and operating systems.


The Tour has come to an end, and we are all parting ways soon.
It has been a very fun learning experience from start to finish.

242 Pitt – 161 Castlereagh – Sydney, Australia

We met with Steven Nicole today from Grocon to learn about one of their current developments in Sydney. The 242 Pitt – 161 Castlereagh project is a 50 level high-rise in the earthwork and foundation phase of construction. The building has 75% of the office space is pre-leased. ANZ will be occupying levels 4-14 and 16-25.
Freehills will be occupying levels 26-37.

The sustainable attributes are the following:

Outside air is introduced into the building at 150% of the ventilation required under the applicable Australian standard, improving occupant amenity and productivity

High efficiency chillers are used, supported by a 1200k trigeneration plant with the excess heat used for heating water within the building.

Lighting is configured with time schedules to reduce power consumption when lighting is not required.

Automatic blinds for daylight glare control and solar reduction are linked to the BMS with external sun sensors.

Rainwater is harvested and test water from the buildings fire sprinkler system is collected for re-use.

Grocon is currently reviewing the vertical axis wind turbine technology with a view of potentially introducing a wind farm within the roof.

95% of the waste produced through demolition was recycled and 90% of the construction waste is targeted to be recycled.

I would like to see more projects like this one get built in the U.S.

Green Building Council - Sydney, Australia

The Green Building Council of Australia was on our itinerary for today. We arrived at the Council’s headquarters, and we met with Robin Mellon who is the Executive Director of Advocacy. Robin led us into a GBCA boardroom and began with a power point presentation. The council has 3 mail goals which are the following:
Rate
Educate
Advocate

GBCA operates as a non-profit organization. It currently staffs 60 employees, and it has a member base of 900 and growing. They use the Green Star system to rate their buildings.
Robin informed us that Green Star was developed for the property industry in order to do the following:

• Establish a common language
• Set a standard of measurement for green buildings
• Promote integrated, whole-building design
• Recognise environmental leadership
• Identify building life-cycle impacts
• Raise awareness of green building benefits

Green Star should be considered to lower operating costs, greater tenant attraction, enhanced marketability, a healthier place to live and work, demonstrate of corporate social responsibility and a competitive advantage.
The nine categories included within all Green Star rating tools are:

• Management
• Indoor Environment Quality
• Transport
• Water
• Materials
• Land Use & Ecology
• Emissions
• Innovation

The following Green Star Certified Ratings are available:
4 Star Green Star Certified Rating (score 45-59) signifies 'Best Practice' in environmentally sustainable design and/or construction

5 Star Green Star Certified Rating (score 60-74) signifies 'Australian Excellence' in environmentally sustainable design and/or construction

6 Star Green Star Certified Rating (score 75-100) signifies 'World Leadership' in environmentally sustainable design and/or construction

The GBCA office space added these sustainable elements which helped them be the most efficient space in the building.

• Fresh air ventilation
• Automatic roller shades
• No hot water
• No suspended ceiling
• C02 sensors
• Wastewater tank

The class was shown an indoor worm farm located right in their kitchen right before we left!

These guys are certainly bringing sustainability to another level. The class pitched the idea that Dr. Forgey should have his own worm farm on campus too.
Dr. Forgey aka the “Worm Wrangler” how does that sound?
This was a great informative session provided by the GBAC.

Legacy Properties - Sydney, Australia

Thanks to my boss, I was able to arrange a meeting with Matthew Hyder from Legacy Property.
The course does focus on sustainable real estate, however, I was interested in learning about the real estate process in Australia vs. U.S. and Matthew certainly filled the void several of us felt during the trip. Since I have a construction and real estate background, I was glad Michael was able to discuss the following:
• Acquisitions
• Approvals
• Design
• Valuation
• Taxes
• Sustainability


Residential leasing is not popular in Australia as it in the U.S. Australians prefer purchasing their homes in lieu of leasing. 95% percent of properties are purchased in auctions. Prospective buyers do not have adequate time to perform their due diligence. However, Institutional properties and raw land tend to be worked through private treaty. It takes 3-4 years for a zone change. Councils have a lot of power, so developers may need to wine and dine them. The houses are smaller than and twice as expensive as in the U.S. Cap rates are compressed and interest rates are higher.
The consensus of the class after our meeting with Matthew was that he filled the Australia real estate knowledge void. We were glad to have learned from a well versed international real estate professional. Thanks Matt for the “Sydney to Do List”. We went to several places on his list and had a lot of fun.

Central Park - Sydney, Australia

After we departed from the “Sustainable House” we came across the Central Park project. A sales executive was kind enough to give us a tour without prior reservation. The Central Park project will achieve the highest possible environmental rating and it will also become the largest site in Australia powered by its own tri-generation energy plant.

Central Park is creating a neighborhood that is encouraging the desire to live, work and play close to the city, reducing the reliance on cars.

Central Park has rooftop gardens, water tanks, solar panels and smart-metering systems. Water tanks and tri-generation plants will export excess water and electricity to nearby neighborhoods and the University of Technology Sydney across the street in an amazing display of self-sufficiency. Ninety three per cent of all demolition waste was recycled, making Central Park one of the largest recycling projects in Australia.

Adios Mates

Sustainable House - Sydney, Australia

Our class was privileged to meet with Michael Mobbs the creator of the “Sustainable House”.
Mr. Mobbs or Mr. Sustainable as I would call him was a very interesting individual. Anyone can notice just by listening to him that he is truly passionate about sustainability and freedom. Mr. Mobbs was very hospitable and gave us a tour of his world famous “Sustainable House”. Through a time consuming work in progress he managed to provide his own water, sewage and energy needs for his 19th century Chippendale terrace since 1996. By living in his sustainable house, Mr. Mobbs said " I feel connected to Earth" After the tour, we all went to the local pizzeria to chat and pick his brain some more.

Power House Museum - Sydney, Australia

We headed to the Powerhouse Museum to see the “Ecologic - Creating a sustainable future” exhibit. The Ecologic exhibit included a 3D timeline, mapping the highs and lows of carbon dioxide concentrations over the last 400,000 years; the consequences of global warming; scientific research featuring air samples and carbon isotope studies; global warming risk management; redesigning our world for ecological sustainability; water management; and sustainability at home, featuring the original Michael Mobbs “Sustainable house” with the ethos of reduce, reuse and recycle. The “sustainable house” miniature model was in display, so we learned about it before we visited with owner Michael Mobbs the next day.

Britomart - Auckland, New Zealand

We returned to Auckland today to meet up with Sara Ballantyne with Cooper & Company. She and Terry Buchan with Hawkins Construction served as our hosts and they provided an informative tour on East 1 & East 2 buildings of the Britomart project which sits across the street from the Auckland harbor.
The building was supposed to be a mixed use development including apartments. However, the residential sector took a big hit, so the apartments were taken out of the equation. I’m sure the loan had to be restructured to do away with the residential portion.
The train station runs below the structure. Sara informed that the tenants are encouraged to walk to work or use public transportation such as the train, bus or ferry. One of the buildings has a rainwater harvesting system. The top three floors were built as flex space as well.

Hamilton Gardens - Hamilton, New Zealand

Meagan and Martini took us to the Hamilton Gardens for our next stop.

Hamilton Gardens is committed to sustainable management practices by:
Recycling glass, paper, tin, aluminium, food waste, office supplies and garden compost

Purchasing mulch from the local recycling centre

Conserving water through night time irrigation, mulching, monitoring and recycling

Improving energy efficiency through monitoring, insulation and energy efficient technologies

Using a buy local policy

Ongoing planting programmes and the propagation and distribution of locally ecosourced NZ plants for restoration work

Promoting sustainable practices through The Sustainable Backyard garden
Encouraging bird, insect and bat populations through planting, habitat protection and predator control


The Māori culture was present through out the garden as you can see in the photo above.

Rotorua Aquatic Center - Rotorua, New Zealand

We went on our way to Rotorua and we were able to see New Zealand's country side.
The UTA Mavericks strolled together to visit the sustainable Aquatic Center.
We were given a tour by a cheerful manager as soon as we got there.

The Rotorua Aquatic Centre is the first swimming facility in New Zealand to achieve Qualmark’s prestigious Enviro-Gold Award, which recognises the country’s highest standards in environmental practice.

All heating of the pool water and hot water is provided through geothermal energy. Out back behind the property are the metal pipes that are connected to the hot springs that provide the geothermal energy. The financial benefit is that there are very little or no heating costs. However, there are energy costs for pumping, ventilation and lighting. The energy savings initiatives include the following:
Reducing pump speed at night and controlling level
Shutting down domestic hot water pump at night
Shutting down Amenities / Change extract fans and ensuring Pool Hall fans go to slow speed at night
Control Pool Hall lights on daylight sensor and Main Entry Canopy Lights on daylight control
1st Floor, Cardio Gym and Staff Room lights on occupancy / light sensor
Main Plant room and Outdoor Plant room Metering Room light

It was a great idea for the Aquatic Center to have used it's local resources (hot springs) in efforts to increase it's sustainability.

Iron Bank

The UTA crew strolled through Auckland's CBD on our way to "The Iron Bank". Little did we know that the building would be closed. However, my amigo Vishal ends up talking to the Indian restaurant owner next door which so happens to have access to the Iron Bank. Way to go Vishal!

The restaurant owner was very nice and he provided us with a tour of the Iron Bank himself.

The IronBank is a $38 million dollar mixed-use office and retail development project in Auckland that was completed in 2009. It has an environmental-sustainable design and it was recently awarded 5-star Green Star rating awarded by the New Zealand Green Building Council. The sustainable features of the building include the following: rainwater collection, solar hot water heating, natural ventilation via a night purging system, low embodied energy materials, and the recycling of nearly 95% of the construction materials. The building has an amazing robotic parking system. I'm curious to know if any buildings in the U.S. have this parking system. http://www.ironbank.co.nz/video-gallery/

We headed to the Indian restaurant next door for a few refreshments after the tour.

Stanley Construction

The UTA Real Estate/ Sustainability crew visited Gary Caulfield with Stanley Construction today. Gary is an active member of the Project Management Insitute. I'm a member of PMI as well. He is a strong advocate for sustainability and he is a handful of people in New Zealand who have managed a project that has attained a Greenstar rating. http://www.stanleygroup.co.nz/page/140-our-people


Gary explained the firm's business unit structure which includes the following: Construction, Eco-Build, Modular, Interiors and Joinery.

Gary informed us of the framing practices during a span of 20 years starting in 1986 which resulted in "leaky buildings" as he so called them. The main issues with these buildings were design and installation.


Plaster cladding systems were installed incorrectly.

The following caused the leaky building syndrome as well: recessed windows,flat roofs with narrow or no eaves,two or more stories,design features such as solid balustrades, complex roof design and envelope shapes where roofs frequently intersect with walls on upper floors,balconies that jut out from the walls, penetrations through the claddings.

Insufficient details in the approved documents also were a problem. Maybe an RFI could have been issued to aid the workers during the installation process.

Lack of technical knowledge and skills when houses are designed, detailed and built -modern systems require a greater level of care and skill which has not always been applied.

Untreated kiln-dried framing timber is susceptible to rot when moisture penetrates the building envelope.


Gary showed us a powerpoint presentation of some modular buildings that Stanley Construction has built. This was the most interesting portion of the meeting for me. Why? Well, because I'm currently working on a 4 & 5 level student housing project in Texas. Stanley Construction is currently building a 14 level student housing project near the University of Auckland. Modular Construction is a growing trend in the U.S. My only regret about this visit was not having the time to visit the actual modular construction project. He did advise that he is working on a progress photo power point presentation, so I'll keep in contact with Gary to learn more about the high-rise modular construction.

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New Zealand SHAC 2009 Projects

The Sustainable Habitat Challenge (SHAC) is a national collaborative project for teams around New Zealand. The teams design, develop, and build sustainable housing in their local community. The objective is to provide low-energy, low-resource housing for New Zealand. By building better homes, SHAC Teams include real estate, architecture, and engineering students. Students, researchers, educators, planners, and industry professionals are imperative for the movement towards sustainability.