The University of Melbourne has joined the bandwagon of projects that are committed to achieving a Green Star rating, making it the first university in Australia to be a Green Star – Communities-rated university.

Victoria’s oldest university already has three Green Star-certified projects – the Faculty of Business and Economics building, the new Melbourne Brain Centre and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunology. Its Parkville Campus is now on track to attaining a Green Star – Communities rating.

The project boundary encompasses 66 hectares, and includes the original University campus and its immediate vicinity, which houses many of the University's major buildings. A total of 159 buildings provide infrastructure and services for all aspects of the University's activities, including research, teaching and learning, and operations. The Green Star - Communities rating tool will be directly applied to the renewal of the Parkville's Campus Development Framework in 2013.

The Peter Doherty Institute, designed by Grimshaw Architects in partnership with Billard Leece

All new buildings on the campus will have a minimum rating design target of 5 Star Green Star, and all major building upgrades will need to achieve 4 Star Green Star under the Green Building Council of Australia's (GBCA) Green Star rating system.

While this commitment will enable the university to minimise its environmental impact, chief executive of the GBCA Romilly Madew says that it will also be beneficial for the students.

"Working with the GBCA to achieve [this] rating will…create a learning environment that is efficient, healthy, productive and resilient – and one which supports the next generation of leaders.”

The University of Melbourne's Parkville Campus will be assessed against best practice benchmarks for liveability, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, design excellence, governance and innovation. An independent assessment panel will award points to the project based on how well they deliver against each category.

For example, the ‘Liveability’ category rewards projects that encourage healthy, active communities through parks, cycle ways and footpaths, as well as through local food production. The ‘Economic Prosperity’ category encourages projects to consider proximity to employment and education opportunities, and access to high speed internet.

The Green Star rating will then be determined by comparing the overall score with the following rating scale:

Best Practice, 4 Star Green Star rating: 45-59 Point Score

Australian Excellence, 5 Star Green Star rating: 60-74 Point Score

World Leader, 6 Star Green Star rating: 75+ Point Score

"[The GBCA] is delighted to be working with the University of Melbourne on a project that will set new benchmarks for education facilities in the 21st century and improve the environmental literacy of every student for generations to come," says Madew.

Geraldine Chua

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