In September 2019, Globe Williams was appointed by CBRE the Environmental Services contract supporting sustainable building practices at its premier property, 321 Exhibition Street in Melbourne.
A landmark building, 321 Exhibition Street in Melbourne is considered one of Australia’s most sustainable and holds the only 6-star NABERS energy rating in Melbourne, the highest sustainability rating for energy efficiency for a building in the Australian market.
Using a 6-star scale, NABERS helps Australian building owners understand how their asset impacts the environment, measuring the energy efficiency, water usage, waste management and indoor environment quality. Additional to the NABERS 6 Star Energy rating this building has also achieved a Nabers 5 Star Internal Environment rating and is aiming to achieve the coveted Nabers 6 Star rating by early 2020.
With sustainability at the core of this building’s operations, CBRE wanted a simple, innovative and effective solution to reduce waste volumes to landfill, increase recycling rates, a process to turn food waste into recycled fertiliser and ultimately reduce operating costs for the building. It also had to engage with the tenants’ onsite to empower them to change their behaviours at the point of disposal to be successful.
To ensure Globe Williams could meet the customers environmental objectives a major sustainability project was undertaken that included procurement of suppliers, food recycling technology, a new coffee cup recycling program, majors works to the waste dock and a consultant; Circular Sustainability to scope, design and deliver the engagement program to the tenants.
“The building has been re-designed to support the right disposal choices for recycling in all aspects across the customers’ kitchens, office floor and utility rooms with signage and source separation bins that supports positive recycling.”
Kathi Mavrothalassitis | Globe Williams CEO APAC
This was not the first major project to the building. In 2012 the building implemented a TRIGEN plant on level 10 ensuring the building is self-sufficient for power.
This Trigen plant provides green electrical energy from a natural gas-powered generator which also supports an Absorption Chiller powered by the Plant’s exhaust gas and central heating for the building utilizing the heated water jacket water from the engine.
“Whilst energy, water and indoor environment have been a focus, it was time to put waste on the agenda and make a strong commitment to reduce the buildings carbon footprint and what was going to landfill.
Our tenant is an Energy company and having the ability to take our organic residue to a waste 2 energy facility was a great news story for our tenant – Globe Williams assisted us to source this technology.”
Bruce Neish | CBRE Associate Director
Each sustainability journey we take with each building, we support our client’s environmental goals with a clear vision in making further improvements through the term of the contract ultimately providing a strong environmental performance for the building.
In assisting the likes of CBRE to gain an additional NABERS certification for waste, we endeavor to engage with the very best when it comes to both people and innovations in assisting all our clients in achieving their individual environmental goals and ratings.