Lot 12 TradeCoast Central

When TradeCoast Central opens its new industrial facility at Lot 12 in Brisbane's Eagle Farm, not only will its owners and employees benefit from a cleaner, greener work place, but the local community and the environment will too.

Lot 12 TradeCoast Central became the first Green Star Industrial facility in Australia when it achieved a 4 Star Green Star - Industrial PILOT rating in April 2010.

The TradeCoast Central Industrial Precinct is on the former Brisbane Airport site adjacent to the Gateway Arterial Motorway in the suburb of Eagle Farm. It is a fully master planned industrial community with special emphasis on sustainable development.

"From the outset the TradeCoast Central estate has had a strong environmental focus. The early development of our Precinct ESD Code has enabled us to implement and improve on the original sustainable initiates in every new building," says TradeCoast Central's Project Director, Cassie Eivers.

"Being involved in the Green Star - Industrial PILOT has been a challenging but rewarding experience; our consultants and contractors have learnt a lot and the support from the occupier has been overwhelming. We hope the introduction of the Industrial rating tool will see more new projects within the estate become formally certified," Cassie adds.

Smart solutions
Lot 12 TradeCoast Central's concrete and steel framed two storey building, featuring both an industrial factory, workshop and office space, incorporates some of the key principles of good passive design to achieve energy and greenhouse gas savings. Environmental features such as T5 lighting with motion and photoelectric (PE) sensors are provided to office areas, and the warehouse area features constant wattage ballasts with halogen (HID) lamps. Extensive landscaped grounds, secure bicycle storage racks and common breakout areas enhance the work experience for staff, providing better social and environmental outcomes.

Innovation plus
New developments can place additional demands on public infrastructure and the local environment. Lot 12 TradeCoast Central achieved an innovation point (Inn-3) for its Sewer Discharge Management system which grinds the effluent to reduce the volume output to sewer, and the timing of the discharge to sewer is controlled and monitored to ensure that all releases to municipal sewer occur during off-peak periods. This effectively reduces the risk of wastewater overflows from the municipal system into the environment.

Water wise
Smart fittings and fixtures include the 'Showerguard' system, which restricts the flow of hot water providing significant savings. Each shower has the potential to save many thousands of litres of water every year, against non-efficient shower heads, and the combined benefits of less waste water and reduced power required to heat the water leads to a lessened environmental impact.

The project has also invested in a shared, precinct non-potable water storage and distribution system, which gained them another Inn-3 innovation point for environmental design initiatives. The system reduces potable water consumption by 80 per cent - the equivalent of more than 10,000 litres a day - and the only potable water used within the precinct is for kitchens, showers and hand basins. Non-potable water is sourced from local council water treatment plants, which guarantee a weekly supply of 2,800 kilolitres per week.

Green scene
As part of this unique environmental precinct, Lot 12 TradeCoast Central will be connected to a number of precinct-wide services adhering to strict environmental standards. Services include a precinct supply of non-potable water, recycled irrigation water and fire system water. The precinct operates a central building management system which monitors the energy and water consumption of all buildings within the precinct through a network of smart energy and water meters. Building occupants have access to this through the precinct's intranet system. As part of the Environmental Design Guidelines, a precinct-wide construction and operational environmental management plan is also in place.

ESD Consultant on the project, John Moynihan from Ecolateral, said: "The industrial building sector is an area where substantial savings can be made in terms of energy, greenhouse gas and water savings. At the same time, industrial buildings usually house a number of diverse functions under the one roof, making it challenging to track environmental performance. The Green Star - Industrial v1 tool provides clarity and guidance during the design phase of industrial buildings to ensure owners and operates get a good mix of economic and environmental outcomes."