Consumer Lifestyle
Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency to choose Australia's greenest office building for new headquarters
The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) will choose as its new headquarters the most environmentally-sustainable large scale commercial office building yet to be constructed in Australia, it was announced today.
The new building sets new benchmarks in terms of environmentally sustainable design (‘ESD’), with the DCCEE, as its anchor tenant, set to move into the 20,700 sqm NewActon Nishi commercial building in Canberra immediately on its completion, scheduled for 1 October 2012.
The building’s engineers, the world’s leading ESD firm, Arup, claim that Nishi demonstrates the end of the design and construction of glass boxes – and a transition into living, breathing buildings.
Adjacent to Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra’s CBD, Nishi is the third stage of The Molonglo Group’s critically-acclaimed, $550 million NewActon development, a precinct that has already won more awards, including the prestigious Canberra Medallion from the Australian Institute of Architects, than any other commercial or residential development in Canberra’s recent history, and is already home to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (‘ACCC’).
Molonglo Group director, Nectar Efkarpidis said, “The significance of the DCCEE choosing NewActon Nishi as its new headquarters is very special. Nishi is a visionary building that represents the future of environmentally sustainable development in Australia, and we see the new lease to DCCEE as a wonderful partnership in Nishi’s ecological credentials.â€
“Nishi is a building for the environmental age. It will use 50% less energy and produce 40% less carbon emission than the highest 5 Star NABERS rated building,†Efkarpidis said. “This is not about “ticking boxes†to achieve green rating points, but rather this is the most sustainable building we could design at this point in time, given its specifications.â€
NewActon Nishi is a mixed-use commercial and residential development which will go well beyond the green ratings systems for environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.
Nishi, which is Japanese for “westâ€, boasts a creative and development team that, as well as Arup, includes internationally renowned Fender Katsalidis Architects from Melbourne, and visionary architect Makoto Tanijiri from Suppose Design Office in Hiroshima, Japan.
In addition to 20,700sqm of commercial space, NewActon Nishi will consist of 250 residential apartments, shops, cafes, retail shops, and a variety of other public amenities including a landscaped atrium and multi-function communal spaces to promote community interaction. Additionally the Molonglo Group has allocated a budget of at least $2 million to continue its already significant commitment to public art in the NewActon precinct.
As well as having access to the numerous amenities of the NewActon precinct (which also include the five-star Diamant Hotel in the heritage listed Acton Hotel, spa, gymnasium and a supermarket by working within the NewActon precinct), staff working within the Nishi building will be part of Canberra’s most vibrant cultural hub and the amenity of the Lake accessed by a pedestrian bridge.
“We are working as hard as possible to make NewActon Nishi a model for environmental, social, and cultural sustainability which supports Canberra’s goals as an excellent place to be in the future,†Efkarpidis said.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Lloyd
Access Public Relations
T: (02) 9279 4001
M: 0424 470 923
About Molonglo Group
Molonglo Group was established in Canberra in 1964 and today is committed to creating world-class developments that enhance Canberra’s role as a great national capital and one of the outstanding new cities of the 21st century. Molonglo Group searches for excellence in planning, design, environmental sustainability and build quality in its projects.