Six stars for sustainable UTS building

The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) has been awarded the 6 Star Green Star Design for sustainability by the Green Building Council of Australia, the second university building in NSW to achieve the rating.

The $154m project for a new Faculty of Science and Graduate School of Health features health and science labs, learning technologies and state-of-the art sustainability solutions.

The building used energy-efficient LED and T5 lighting, zoning and controls, as well as architecturally designed portholes, skylights, oculus and light wells to provide extensive natural daylighting to subterranean places.

“Notable in the building’s sustainable design is a ‘green roof’ providing recreational space, insulation, improved air quality, plant and animal habitat and the ability to filter and clean stormwater run-off,” said UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Attila Brungs.

The building itself is a ‘living lab’, with meters and sensors monitoring its real-time sustainability performance.

Other sustainable features include heated and chilled water supplied from the CB01 Central Thermal Plant, floor displacement ventilation, water-efficient fixtures as well as the use of recycled products or certified sustainable sources.

UTS worked collaboratively with project architects Durbach Block Jaggers, in association with BVN Architecture, as well as contractor Richard Crookes Constructions.

The project took seven years from demolition to completion and was officially opened by the NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner on 27 April.

Images courtesy of Andrew Worssam.