Top energy rating awarded to Melbourne high-rise office building

A Victorian high-rise commercial office building has become the first in the state – and just the second in Australia – to achieve a 6 star NABERS energy rating.

The building, 171 Collins Street in Melbourne, is owned by Cbus Property and Charter Hall, and is the headquarters for Australian mining giant, BHP Billiton.
As a 6 Star NABERS Energy rated building, it emits 50 per cent less greenhouse gases than a building with a 5 Star rating – long regarded to be the benchmark for modern office buildings.
Among the features that have won it the milestone rating are an Australian-first ceiling tile system that absorbs office pollutants; and an innovative grey water treatment system that collects used water from the cyclist shower facilities and recycles it through the building’s cooling towers and toilets, offsetting more than 90 per cent of the cooling towers’ water consumption.
The building also has a “high-performance façade” made up of floor to ceiling double glazing, with thermal insulation to help maintain occupant comfort, and a nine storey glass atrium that maximises natural light and helps it achieve energy efficiency targets.

A radiant cooling and heating system and an under-floor air distribution network provides energy efficient thermal comfort for occupants, while the air conditioning system allows large quantities of outside air to be brought into the office space at a low velocity and distributed using natural stratification.
Cbus Property CEO Adrian Pozzo said 171 Collins Street had set a new benchmark in sustainability and was a shining example of the drive to create highly sustainable workplaces for the future.
“171 Collins Street is a lighthouse example of how premium grade buildings can deliver architectural beauty, world leading sustainability and exceptional occupant amenities without compromise,” he said.
“This milestone caps off several years of dedication by the entire project team as well as 171 Collins Street’s tenants in delivering and maintaining a truly green and sustainable building,” he said.
171 Collins Street is also recognised as the first premium building in 2014 to achieve the prestigious 6 Star Green Star As Built Office V2 rating by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), achieving a record 83 points.
Since its completion in mid-2013, 171 Collins Street has attracted several significant awards, including Best Commercial High Rise Development in Australia, from the International Property Awards (Asia Pacific).
It was also awarded the Hanson’s Green Building Award at the United Nations Association of
Australia World Environment Day Awards in June 2014 and received the Sustainability Development Award at the Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Awards 2014.