150 Green Star projects certified in 2014

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has announced that it certified 150 Green Star projects during 2014 - up from 105 in 2013. GBCA CEO Romilly Madew noted that on top of the 43% increase, 115 new Green Star projects were registered over the course of the year, indicating that “efficiency, productivity and sustainability are here to stay”.

“The number of project teams achieving their Green Star rating in Round 1 has grown dramatically in the last year, reflecting the extensive work we’ve undertaken to make Green Star easier to use,” said Madew. “13% of certifications were achieved in Round 1 in 2014, compared with just 1% two years ago.”

Lend Lease achieved eight certified ratings in 2014 for projects such as Library at the Dock in Melbourne and the T2 commercial tower at Sydney’s Barangaroo. The company also won the first rating under the Green Star - Interiors PILOT rating tool for its Shared Services office in Sydney.

Frasers-Australand is currently working on 14 Green Star projects, and registered industrial facilities, retail centres, office buildings, residential towers and entire communities to achieve Green Star ratings in 2014. The company’s Green Star-certified One Central Park was also named Best Tall Building in the World in 2014.

WSP worked on 13 certified projects during 2014 - the most out of any company - covering 10 separate Green Star office projects as well as university education facilities, apartments and industrial facilities. It was followed by Cundall (12 projects) and Umow Lai (11 projects).

Leighton Properties delivered the most Green Star office projects in 2014 (six), while Charter Hall Holdings delivered the most Office As Built projects (four). Australia Post was also recognised for achieving three Green Star - Office Interiors v1.1 ratings, as well as Office Design & As Built v3 ratings for its Strawberry Hills headquarters.

The Victorian Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure gained five separate Green Star ratings for upgrades to Footscray, West Footscray and Sunshine railway stations and the new railway stations in Wyndham Vale and Tarneit, which all received 4 Star Green Star - Custom Design certification in 2014. The City of Melton meanwhile achieved Green Star ratings for the Melton Library and Learning Hub and the Western Business Accelerator and Centre for Excellence.

Madew also congratulated two ‘firsts’ delivered in 2014: the first Green Star - Performance rating, which was awarded to the GPT Group for 800 Bourke Street in Melbourne; and Australia’s first Green Star - Communities rating, awarded last week to Brisbane Airport Corporation for the Brisbane Airport site.

“We now have 796 Green Star certified projects around Australia, with a further 392 registered to achieve ratings,” Madew said. “Green Star is influencing the design and construction of schools and shopping centres, hospitals and hotels, libraries, law courts, apartments, aquatic centres, and everything from small inner-city projects to large-scale developments that will one day have their own postcodes.”

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