Place of sustainable building design

A collaborative effort between Lend Lease and the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) has seen the completion of the $550 million Darling Quarter development in Sydney’s CBD. In the heart of the development is the new Commonwealth Bank flagship campus which has used CSR Gyprock’s EC08 plasterboard.

Commonwealth Bank Place (CBP), a low-rise, campus-style commercial development for up to 6000 CBA employees, has received a 6 Star Green Star - Office Design version 2 rating after achieving 84 credit points - the highest score for a building of its size, translating to world-class innovation in sustainability.

Officially opened at the end of September 2011, the CBP building’s passive and active design features save 2500 tonnes of carbon emissions per year and reduce main water consumption by 92%. Approximately 12,000 m² of Gyprock EC08 plasterboard in impact grade and partition grade was used to meet the strict conditions in the 58,000sqm fit-out of CBP.

Gyprock EC08 with reCore technology was launched in 2008 and is said to be the first Australian-made plasterboard to have been certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA). The plasterboard used is produced with the highest level of recycled content and can be recycled rather than add to the growing waste problem.

The Gyprock range is now available in three grades - partition, fire rated and impact rated, in 13 mm thickness. All three boards in the EC08 range are accredited to the latest GECA 04-2011 Panel Boards standard, which is compliant with the requirements of the GBCA’s Assessment Framework for product certification schemes.

It was important for Lend Lease to specify a Green Star-compliant product, but to also keep the choices open for the contractors in case they wanted to propose or use an alternative product.

Lend Lease was after an environmentally friendly plasterboard product that complied with Green Star - Office Interiors version 1.1 credit Mat-3 Walls and Partitions. In addition, the project needed a product which would be easy to work with on site.

Other GECA-certified products were trialled but found to be either too heavy or soaked up layers of paint. Gyprock EC08 was trialled by the contractors off site before they used it in the CBP fit-out.

CSR Gyprock National Product Manager Kylie Peterson says, “We were pleased to learn that it ticked all Lend Lease’s boxes for their sustainable and practical requirements.”

In addition to Gyprock installed on the interior walls, GECA-certified workstations, chairs, tables, storage and Grade E1 composite timber were among other design initiatives installed to target a minimum 5 Green Star - Office Interiors version 1.1 rating for CBP fit-out.

CBP was designed by a collaboration of architects; FJMT designed the base building, EGO Group and Davenport Campbell & Partners designed the interiors.

Kylie Peterson says, “It is a testament to Lend Lease and the Commonwealth Bank to see their initiation to install a number of products, fittings and fixtures that contribute to the building and fit-out’s Green Star rating, with Gyprock EC08 being one of them.

“We have thoroughly tested EC08 internally and independently, and it is gratifying to confirm that it measures up to the high standards that Lend Lease expect and implement.”

In addition to CBP, Darling Quarter also encompasses a family and leisure precinct with 14 retail outlets and dining facilities, adjoining a new state-of-the-art 4000 m² public park and car park for up to 600 cars.