By Tina Perinotto 17 February 2011 – Favourites: A glittering line-up of speakers at a Property Council of Australia lunch in Sydney in November last year provided a rare glimpse into the problem-solving, decision-making and sometimes heart-stopping dilemmas behind Sydney´s first high rise six-star Green Star office building at 1 Bligh Street. Architect Christoph Ingenhoven, visiting from Düsseldorf, Germany provided a taste of how he and Australian firm Architectus arrived at an oblique solution to the site. Also speaking was Victor Hoog Antink, chief executive officer of developer Dexus, who must have lived a few lifetimes at the moment he gave the thumbs up to the massive project – just as the global financial crisis started to reveal its killer fangs. Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 4 December 2011 – Berkeley and Maastricht universities’ academic Nils Kok arrived in Australia last week to confirm what every sane investor knew all along, that sustainable and energy efficient buildings are better buildings and worth more Read More  
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By Lyn Drummond 3 August 2011 – The New Zealand Green Building Council has awarded the country’s first six star Green Star Office Interiors 2009 rating to the Bank of New Zealand’s Harbour Quays offices in Wellington and will soon be certifying its 66th Green Star project as well as completing a Green Star rating tool  review. NZGBC chief executive, Alex Cutler, told The Fifth Estate: “We have seen growth in membership among building contractors, investors, construction industry Read More  
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2 August 2011 – The Total Environment Centre is in search of C and D grade buildings in Sydney that have been successfully upgraded, or are in the process of doing so in order to develop a set of case studies to assist other owners. According to manager of the project Matt Fisher, the buildings will have set out to achieve a NABERS Energy rating of 4 – 4.5 stars Read More  
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13 July 2011 – The Australian Conservation Foundation’s head office in Melbourne, the 60L Green Building, was designed to minimise its impact on the environment when it opened in 2002 but has it measured up ? Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 7 July 2011  – Brisbane investor Harvest Denison Opportunity Fund has leapfrogged the competition and signed Australia’s deal energy efficiency upgrade and finance deal with Low Carbon Australia. Up to six more agreements are expected to be announced in the following weeks in regional NSW Sydney and Melbourne. The moves signal the first of an anticipated string of funding agreements for energy efficient retrofits for the property Read More  
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By Leon Gettler 8 July 2011 – Capital market players say sustainable property might soon become a better investment proposition. A carbon price will force up energy costs. In a carbon market, building owners and investors who know how to slash operating costs will have a competitive advantage. Emlyn Keane, head of property management and sustainable performance at AMP Capital, Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 7 July 2011 – CB Richard Ellis has claimed has offset its greenhouse gas emissions for the entire Australian operations, making it “the first commercial real estate services firm in Australia to be certified under the Australian Government’s carbon neutral initiative.” The offsets are certified by Low Carbon Australia which this week also announced its first funding deal for energy efficiency upgrades for a Brisbane building. See separate story Low Carbon Australia chief executive Meg McDonald said: “Like so many workplaces in Australia, the commitment and efforts of employees is essential to reducing a company’s carbon emissions.  Identifying potential emission savings and developing solutions should guarantee a reduction in the company’s carbon footprint.” CBRE’s head of sustainability for the Pacific region Rebecca Pearce said the certification was part of a global strategy to improve the sustainability profile of the company. “The reduction... 
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By Tina Perinotto 30 June 2011 – “It’s about time we realised the limitations of using the atmosphere as a tip,” said GPT’s Bruce Precious on the launch today (Thursday 30 June) of a new coalition Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 23 June 2011 – Blackwater recycling and trigeneration plants are all very well, but what tenants want to know is will the building help make their tenants happier and more productive? More specifically, does it have as close to possible to 100 per cent fresh air? According to head of tenant representation for Jones Lang LaSalle, Michael Greene, if the answer is no, then the negotiations on rent are going to be harder than they need to be, despite any profusion of green features. Mr Greene was speaking to The Fifth Estate on release of a major outlook for leasing markets Australia wide, that pointed to Melbourne outperforming, Perth vacancy tightest in Australia, Sydney strengthening but Brisbane’s office market offering a “strong supply of new stock” and tenants a wide range of options. Read More  
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By Lynne Blundell 17 March 2011 –One of the biggest challenges facing designers and construction companies today is the selection of building materials for minimum environmental impact. In his keynote address at Green Cities, Michael Green, principal of Canadian architectural firm mgb Architecture+Design, argued strongly for timber as a superior alternative to concrete and steel, from the suburban home to the tallest high-rise tower. World housing and climate change are the two great issues of our time Read More  
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Waste management is one of the primary urban environmental issues facing Asia today. This article from Sustainability Asia, published by CB Richard Ellis, Asia Pacific, examines regional waste management and recycling practices and looks at how the issue is moving rapidly up the building construction and management agenda. 18 March 2011 – Rapid industrialisation and development over the past two decades has brought with it unprecedented economic growth and prosperity. However, across many parts of the region, this progress has come at a significant ecological cost. Increased population growth, urbanisation and growing levels of personal consumption Read More  
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By Lynne Blundell 19 May 2011 – Green leases, which include clauses and agreements designed to ensure energy efficiency and sustainable operation of buildings, were not so long ago hailed as progressive. These days it is an outdated concept, according to many of those working in sustainable property, because all leases should aim for this as a matter of course. But that is far from the reality with many accepted practices Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 16 May 2011 – Grocon and the GPT Group today  unveiled plans for the refurbished officer tower in heritage listed Legion House  in Sydney’s CBD to be powered by off-grid bio mass gas, with enough energy to supply the adjoining tower 161 Castlereagh Street. The developers claimed the building’s energy system,  its sustainable building materials such as timbers and bamboo and other environmental outcomes would make the building among the most sustainable in the world. The building is owned 50 per cent by GPT, and 25 per cent each by Jones Lang LaSalle and Grocon. GPT chief executive officer and managing director Michael Cameron said Legion House “set a new benchmark Read More  
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By Lyn Drummond 17 May 2011 – Investa’s ARK development in North Sydney and GPT’s 530 Collins Street in Melbourne have won two new sustainability awards included in the Property Council of Australia’s annual Property Council of Australia/ Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards. Ark, now known as Coca-Cola Place, won the Baulderstone Award for Best Sustainable Development, New Buildings and GPT’s 530 Collins Street won the THINC Award for Best Sustainable Development – Existing Buildings. Read More  
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12 May 2011 – Green office buildings with high NABERS energy ratings are starting to hit their straps in the tenancy stakes, with lower vacancies and higher average rental income than their non-rated peers, the IPD Green Property Index shows. The results, part of the new IPD Green Property Index launched at GreenCities 2011, proves what sustainable property investors and managers have believed for several years – going green is good for the bottom line. The research looked at buildings rated between four and five stars NABERS Energy. Research manager – IPD Australia and New Zealand Peter McGuinness said, “superior performance was found across a number of metrics Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 15 April 2011 – It could be a tale of two cities. Again. Sydney City Council last week rejected the tender for its deep sea plunge into the brave new world of large scale trigeneration – the gas-sourced, low-carbon energy that it eventually wants to roll out for the entire CBD. Instead it will now enter private negotiations. We’re talking 360 megawatts of power to reduce carbon emissions by a massive 70 per cent by the year 2030. Kicking off the process was to be a cluster of seven of the council’s buildings around Town Hall, and later the remaining buildings from its total portfolio of about 200 properties. But the City’s ambitions may have been too grand and too hard … for now Read More  
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By Leon Gettler 31 March 2011 – The federal government’s Australian Carbon Trust is targeting Australia’s $1.2 trillion superannuation sector for partnership funding. If it succeeds, it will potentially create an enormous funding pool for sustainable building around Australia. The Carbon Trust was set up in March last year as an independent company with $100 million of seed funding to provide finance and advice to business and the wider community and encourage investment in, take-up and use of energy-efficient technologies. Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 31 March  2011 – GPT boss Michael Cameron himself dipped out of his job “making money”, as he put it, to host a sneak preview of the new, six star Green Star-targeted head office of the giant property trust this week. Also hosting the tour group was Rosemary Kirkby who joined GPT as head of sustainability early last year and project director Robert Hitchcock. Read More  
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By Nicola Woodward 24 March – As it is currently proposed, the Tax Breaks for Green Buildings has several design features that render it at best a consultant’s windfall and at worst, a $1billion buffer for a government under intense pressure from the Greens to adopt Green policies. This may seem overly cynical but after studying the discussion paper released by government in January, it is not an unreasonable conclusion. Why? Read More  
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By Craig Roussac 10 March 2011 – Electricity use in Sydney office buildings can more than double in extreme heat, but responsive management can keep a lid on greenhouse emission, research by conducted by the Green Buildings Alive project has found Growing peak period demand is one of the major causes of rising electricity prices and any reduction in energy use at these times can bring substantial financial savings, reducing pressure on the network. The largest buildings can pay around $150,000 per year in peak capacity charges and $350,000 in network energy charges for the largest of CBD buildings. Capturing data during extreme events like heatwaves shows that what you can’t see matters. The environmental impact of buildings changes from hour to hour and day to day. For example, research of 11 Sydney buildings by GBA on the effect of a heatwave between 31 January and 6 February 2011 found 11 out of 20 experienced their highest electricity consumption during this week than on any... 
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The federal government has promised a tax break program for green buildings worth up to to $1billion. How the program will work in practice may change following a call for public submissions, now closed. Following are details of original proposals for the program. By Andrew Chapman 11 March – Under the tax breaks program, successful applicants will be able to apply for a one-off bonus tax deduction of 50 per cent for investments in eligible assets or capital works associated with the retrofitting of existing buildings to improve the energy efficiency rating under the existing NABERS rating system. Total funding for the program is proposed to be up to $1billion. What buildings will be eligible for a bonus tax deduction under the tax break program? The tax breaks program is intended to apply to the retrofitting of buildings satisfying the following criteria: Table 1: Assessment criteria Building category Proposed minimum criteria NABERS rating tool Office Net lettable area greater... 
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By Ronald Wood 10 March 2011 – The claims for green plants in buildings are that they help to improve indoor life. From a single plant on a desk, container plants throughout the space, planted foyers, to landscaped atriums and bioclimatic skyscraper plantings, the presence of plants creates a healthy and pleasant work environment. How do they do this? Following are some answers to the unasked questions about plants VOCs Plants reduce and remove the harmful pollutants in indoor air, such as volatile organic compounds. They are an inexpensive complement to conventional air filter systems, helping to provide cleaner air. They also contribute to relative humidity stabilisation and improve the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange (O²/CO²). Another benefit is that they reduce glare and provide a restful effect on eyes. Plants can be used to address acoustic problems and they do not interfere with any existing air distribution systems or patterns in a room. Plants entail relatively minor capital... 
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By Tina Perinotto 1 March 2011 –In what could signal a major breakthrough, property investment analyst IPD on Monday launched its long awaited green property index at Green Cities 2011 and the results vindicate the industry’s commitment to a more sustainable product:  Green Star and NABERS-rated buildings outperform non-rated buildings on a financial basis by a significant margin, especially at the upper end of ratings performance. Read More  
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by Lynne Blundell 31 May 2010 – FAVOURITES: Warren Ebert has strong opinions about green buildings. As principal of Queensland property investment company, Sentinel Asset Management, he believes in them because they make financial sense – they save money because they are energy efficient and because tenants want to be in them. What he isn’t happy about is how few of them are actually run efficiently once they are occupied. It is a detail that can get lost in the current drive to get points for a Green Star rating, says Ebert. Achieving points for installing all the latest technology will not necessarily translate into a truly sustainable building once it is operating. “I was involved in doing green buildings long before there was even such a term,” says Ebert. “It just makes sense to create buildings that work more efficiently and take into account the climate and site. But too many people are chasing points for the design stage without focusing on what happens once it... 
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By Tina Perinotto 17 February 2011 – According to chief executive of Grosvenor Australia Rob Kerr the five star Green Star and five star NABERS Energy ambitions for Eclipse, the company’s joint venture office tower with Leighton Properties at Parramatta, west of Sydney, were a drawcards in attracting lead tenants to the project. QBE Insurance Group and Deloitte Australia have pre-committed to about 70 of the building at between $400 to $450 a square metre, newspaper reports said last week. Mr Kerr  told The Fifth Estate that his company had no doubt that the trend towards greener buildings was set. Grosvenor, with a portfolio of about $700 million, had been pushing towards more sustainable outcomes for the past few years, he said. The move was “absolute necessity, whether you’re an investor, manager or developer – there is no doubt that it’s a priority, and a major issue for tenants. ” Grosvenor was currently upgrading one of its buildings in... 
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21 February 2011 – Half of  the corporate real estate executives who took part in the  latest annual Sustainability Survey by CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle say they would pay more for green buildings, a huge jump on last year’s results. There was also a leap in the number of respondents who placed employee productivity and health as their top sustainability concerns. The survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2010, revealed a CRE industry “in the process of reconciling the focus on reducing environmental impacts of buildings with the need to control costs and support corporate financial performance,” Jones Lang LaSalle and CoreNet said. Key findings of the survey include: Sustainability is a critical business issue today for 64 per cent of respondents and 92 per cent consider sustainability criteria in their location decisions. The number of respondents willing to pay more for green leased space jumped from 37 per cent in 2009 to 50 per cent in 2010. 31... 
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3 March 2011 –CASE STUDY: The landmark former Optus Building in North Sydney building has achieved a five star NABERS energy rating following its $40 million refurbishment in 2007-2008. The property at 101 Miller Street, owned by Mirvac Funds Limited and Eureka Funds Management, now has a three Mega Volt Amps trigeneration system, one of the largest trigeneration systems installed in a commercial office building in Australia. The building was occupied by Optus, a single tenant, from the completion of construction in 1992 for 15 years. The telco’s decision to vacate the premise from mid 2007 Read More  
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14 February 2011 – A new US based report on the benefits of green office space  has found that green building movement is growing and that the economic and environmental benefits have started to drive the decision-making by industry leaders. The report Do Green Buildings Make Dollars & Sense?, from CB Richard Ellis in conjunction with the University of San Diego and McGraw-Hill Construction, is the second annual survey in the series. This year it focused on the attitudes and behavior from building occupants. Read More  
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6 October 2010 - A workshop hosted by Paul Edmiston and Lachlan MacDonald of Savills Incoll Australia at the 2010 Sustainable Buildings Conference  highlighted the effect that the drive toward sustainability has had on the property market. The workshop focused on the refurbishment of 170 Phillip St, Sydney, as a case study highlighting the decisions made by the owners, The Law Society. The case study detailed the reasons why the owners performed the upgrade, the key sustainability initiatives adopted into the refurbishment as well as their perspective on the Green Star rating. The case study can be seen further below. The workshop also discussed the effect that the move towards sustainability is having in the areas of leasing, valuation and sales, project management and facilities management. Following are some highlights from those insights. Leasing: An overwhelming majority of Premium and A grade tenants have a green agenda while only a  small minority of B and C grade tenants... 
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