workplace6

In 2008, workplace6 became the first project in New South Wales to receive a 6 Star Green Star - Office Design v2 rating. In May 2009, the project took out another Green Star certification - earning a 6 Star Green Star - Office As Built v2 rating for the completed building, making workplace6 a 'World Leader' in environmentally sustainable design and construction. workplace6 is designed to achieve a 5 Star Base Building NABERS Energy rating with a leading energy efficient design.

The GPT-owned waterfront project houses 16,200m2 in a six storey commercial office space, and 1,800m2 in retail space on the building's ground floor.

Moving to greener pastures
In February 2008, building owner GPT Group announced that workplace6's office space had been successfully let - nine months prior to building completion. Internet giant Google leased levels four to six from the building's practical completion in October 2008, while global management consulting firm, Accenture, took levels one to three. The leases are for periods of 10 and 12 years respectively.

GPT's Head of Office, Tony Cope, was not surprised the building was taken up so quickly, given its green credentials.

"workplace6 is at the leading edge of sustainable design, which is a reflection of GPT's commitment to world's best environmental practice. We believe this is the benchmark that quality tenants seeking high profile locations expect," he said.

Global companies are making the switch to green tenancies because they provide continual cost savings, a healthier work environment and are a major attractor for both potential clients and staff.

As Senior Executive at Accenture, Robert Hohnen, said, "We are very aware of the impact our operation has on the environment. We have always strived to reduce our environmental footprint and relocating to workplace6 is an exciting step in this journey. We also believe the new facility will be a fantastic collaborative environment for our employees and will help us in continuing to attract the best talent in the market."

Everything old is new again
At workplace6, an on-site black water treatment plant with sewer mining capacity processes the building's waste water, transforming it into clean, recycled water for flushing toilets and site irrigation. Through this green initiative, the entire workplace6 property uses just 10 per cent of the amount of potable water consumed when compared with a conventional building of similar size.

The system has the capacity to produce approximately 40,000 litres of recycled water each day. However, if the building itself is not producing enough waste-water, the treatment plant will draw from the public sewer (known as sewer mining) and convert this into usable, recycled water.

A first for Australia, the blackwater plant also provides irrigation water for two neighbouring parks. Not only does the development's design cut water consumption by 90 per cent when compared to an average office building but it is also giving back to the surrounding environment.

Three times the power
Another leading edge technology featured in this project is the 600kVA tri-generation plant, providing the building with heating, cooling and air-conditioning. The system uses a gas-powered generator to meet over a quarter of the site's peak base-building power demand.

Waste heat from the generator cooling system and exhaust flue is captured and used to power an absorption chiller which is supplemented with high efficiency Powerpax electric chillers. This combination of low greenhouse systems is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of workplace6 by 70 per cent in comparison to a typical existing office building.

The heat from the building is rejected to Sydney Harbour through a series of plate heat exchangers in the building basement. According to Director of Sustainability at Waterman AHW, Scott Brown, there are several key benefits in using harbour water heat exchange, despite the technology's higher installation cost.

"One is that if you don't have cooling towers you don't have to worry about legionella, in particular the need to prevent its formation through the use of chemicals; the other is that we're saving 8 million litres a year of water that would otherwise have evaporated from the cooling towers," he says.

The 18,000m2 project also features 40 solar panels on the roof that provide the building's hot water. Intelligent façade design is also implemented to make the most of the sun's warmth in the cooler months, while the high performance glazing maintains occupant comfort in the summer. These initiatives decrease the building's reliance on artificial lighting and air-conditioning systems, significantly reducing energy bills.

ESD initiatives featured in the project:

Energy

• 25% Green Power (consistent with the majority of the GPT Managed Office Portfolio)
• Roof-mounted solar panels to heat the building's water
• High technology façade and sun shading devices to reduce heat load on the building

Materials

• The use of recycled materials, sustainable timber and minimal use of PVC

Indoor Environment Quality

• Maximisation of natural light and air quality through the use of chilled beam technology and operable facades which allow tenants to install open wintergardens in various locations throughout the campus-style workplace
• Open central atrium zone providing a sense of space
• Core zone, allowing light to reach the centre zone of each floor
• No point on the large floor plate is more than 12 metres from an external window or the atrium
• 120 bike racks and change-rooms and shower facilities. GPT have also provided bicycles for tenant use.