Green Buildings In Sydney  

Green buildings are an important component in the transition to an energy efficient future, so I think its worth pointing out new developments that make energy efficiency a design priority.

The City of Sydney has outlined a vision for 2030 that aims to redevelop a lot of areas on the city fringes in a sustainable way. The first development to fit into this new scheme of things is a project planned for the old Kent (CUB) Brewery site, to the west of Central Station, known as Fraser's Broadway.

The project will be designed by Jean Nouvel and Foster + Partners, along with a number of local firms, and is aiming to be the first 6 green star development in the country and the first to achieve carbon neutrality.

Interesting features from a sustainability point of view include :

* a gas-fired, co-generation electricity plant (which they call a "trigeneration plant" as it provides heating, cooling and electricity)
* a waste-water recycling plant combined with rainwater capture
* green rooftops
* smart metering
* solar powered lighting in public spaces
* reducing vehicle traffic by directing cars into an integrated basement and underground road system
* limited parking provision within the precinct, car share schemes and integration into the inner city bicycle network
* recycling of 90% of all demolition waste

Obviously when it comes to property development in Sydney you need to take all these claims with a (very large) grain of salt, but it is encouraging to see these ideas being talked about at least - and with a bit of luck most or all of them will actually eventuate.