Working with the environmental consultants dsquared Consulting, the project team, designers and subcontractors implemented a variety of sustainable initiatives to achieve the SHAPE Adelaide office’s high Green Star rating.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves to receive innovation points by going that extra step. One way we did this was to encourage our subbies to get involved and propose Green Star elements that we could use in the project,” said Kara.
Reuse was a key focus of the project, with meeting room furniture from SHAPE Adelaide’s previous Victoria Square office given a new home in the space. Existing structural steel columns discovered during the demolition phase were also reused for the mezzanine level. For the joinery, subcontractors sourced only FSC certified timber, which all contributed to SHAPE Adelaide scoring a high rating in the ‘Materials’ category.
Products that minimise ecological harm were used, such as the ultra-low VOC paint, to meet the Green Star ‘Land Use and Ecology’ category requirements. The design also includes an innovative lighting system to minimise light pollution at night on neighbouring properties. High WELS rated fittings and appliances were also selected. Incredibly, more than 90 per cent of waste from the fitout was recycled.
Health and wellbeing was also a major consideration, which led to high points in the ‘Indoor Environment Quality’ category. A wellbeing room was incorporated into the design that doubles as a health space. Biophilic design elements, such as indoor planting and greenery, were integrated throughout the space.
