The Wyndham Civic Centre in outer Melbourne is the first building in Australia to be registered for a Green Star – Performance rating.
Launched in October by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), the Green Star – Performance rating tool aims to improve the efficiency and environmental sustainability of Australia’s existing buildings.
The Wyndham Civic Centre is a three-storey municipal building with a large conference and expo space used by a variety of community groups.
“Wyndham City Council has shown exceptional leadership, and achieving one of the first Green Star – Performance ratings will enable Council to identify and upgrade the operational performance of a valuable community asset in areas such as energy, water, waste reduction and indoor environment quality,” says GBCA’s chief executive, Romilly Madew.
Wyndham City has implemented a range of sustainability measures across its existing buildings in recent years. This includes energy and water efficiency upgrades and community e-waste recycling hubs.
“As part of the Wyndham Environment and Sustainability Strategy, Wyndham City is aiming for a 40 per cent reduction in corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 2015,” says Wyndham Major Bob Fairclough.
“A $2.47 million federal government grant will allow us to convert the City’s 12,088 street lights to compact energy efficient fluorescent tubes.”
Fairclough adds that these measures highlight the City’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint.
“Through our involvement with Green Star – Performance, we’ll be able to measure the environmental performance of the Civic Centre, identify pathways to improve the building over time and reduce its operational costs.”
Wyndham City Council was the first to sign up to the PILOT program, and a further 30 or more buildings are expected to be announced within weeks.
