Reference no: EM131240416

Project - Green Square Corporate Office Park

ABSTRACT

This paper is based on the ACAA award nomination and outlines the key technical elements of the Green Square project including environmentally sustainable development (ESD) innovations, project design and construction challenges and management of project delivery.

Green Square Corporate Office Park is a mixed-use development located in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. Green Square comprises of a South Tower - 17,700m2 of Property Council of Australia (PCA) A-grade, 5 Star Green Star commercial office space and a North Tower - 23,800m2 of PCA A-grade, 6 Star Green Star commercial office and retail space.

Both towers incorporate innovative technology, such as a gas fired co-generation system, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology in the North Tower, resulting in one of the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates of any commercial building in Australia. In the South Tower the implementation of air cooled chillers in place of water cooled chillers saves an estimated 32 megalitres of water per annum.

A number of technical challenges were identified. Examples include; the immature nature of the "green" construction industry at the time of construction as well as the implementation of numerous new technologies saw the need for innovative solutions. These were overcome through stringent material selection, real-time modelling, and highly strategic building commissioning practices.

Leadership and management of the project team was through collaborative contracting, not traditionally used within a design and construct contract. Meeting project targets was rigorously supported by the project team as a whole and while the leadership team focused heavily on ESD and innovation, they always maintained the core values of safety and heath, community, environment, quality, industrial relations and cost and time.

CONCLUSIONS

The entire project team understood the magnitude of what they were achieving with sustainable building practices. Despite being a relatively small team, the affect it has had on the construction industry and future building practices is significant.

Lessons learned about new initiatives and technologies developed and implemented at Green Square were circulated to benefit the industry. The team displayed strong leadership by actively seeking opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences.

The GBCA used Green Square as a best practice ESD case study at both national and international conferences. Green Square's Project Director Petie Walker, Project Managers Jamie Kunst and Tony Joslin, Services Manager Mark Sanders and Development Director Andrew Borger, have presented Green Square at numerous industry and education forums.

The ESD initiatives and ground-breaking technologies that were delivered by the team at Green Square were a result of a shared vision and a committed leadership team willing to push the boundaries of sustainable development. The project has instigated an enduring legacy that has reached beyond the construction industry.

Green Square continues to inform greener, smarter buildings being constructed nationally and internationally. Thanks to Green Square, the benefits of sustainable building will not only be seen today, but long into the future.

Attachment:- project2.pdf