* All renders are artist’s impressions only as at October 2014 subject to planning approval and change.
Barangaroo
Sustainability Annual Report Few people in the built environment industry would not relish the opportunity to work – in whatever capacity - on the most exciting, ground-breaking construction project going on in Sydney, perhaps Australia. And having permission to stretch yourself and your ideas and to find innovative solutions to the challenges such a huge project will inevitably bring would exhilarate many. Such is the culture at Barangaroo South, part of the biggest urban renewal project in Sydney since the Olympic Games in 2000. The project team has visionary aspirations and a commitment to the goals of environmental, economic and social sustainability. The challenge is to turn those goals into reality. This is the initial Annual Report on Sustainability for Barangaroo South, and serves as the first look at how the plans are measuring against performance. As the precinct is very much a work in progress, many of the hard numbers against which the development will eventually measure itself are not yet available for reporting. But as with all projects, you must start somewhere, and this report takes a ground up approach to the annual sustainability data by reporting on it through the lens of those who are working most closely on bringing it to fruition. The team is really proud of how much thought and effort has gone into making sure they achieve the ambitious sustainability objectives set for the development. If the precinct can live up to the spirit of its namesake Barangaroo – industrious, compassionate, protective and nurturing – Lend Lease will have achieved its objectives on this historic site.
SUSTAINABILITY TEAM
Highlights Tower 2 has achieved a 6-STAR GREEN STAR OFFICE DESIGN V3 RATING
achieving the highest number of points for an office tower under this rating
20% REDUCTION
IN THE CARBON INTENSITY OF THE REINFORCING STEEL FOR THE PROJECT
THIS REPRESENTS A 4% CONTRIBUTION TO OUR OVERALL EMBODIED CARBON TARGET TOTAL VOLUME OF
WATER RECOVERED
SOLAR INTEGRATED ON ROOFTOPS ACROSS THE SITE WITH PLANS ON TRACK TO MEET GOAL OF
300ML
SQM OF PANELS OVERALL
AND TREATED WITHIN THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT IS OVER
6,000
TO DATE
99% OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE
IS BEING RECYCLED, EXCEEDING OUR 97% TARGET 4 Barangaroo South
INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION PLAN DEVELOPED WHICH INCLUDED A PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE BUSINESS SKILLS SEMINARS FOR INDIGENOUS SMEs
18,174
TRAINING PROGRAMS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
ON OFFER TO CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ON SITE
DELIVERED, EQUALLING 36% OF TARGET
7,660
APPRENTICES
TRAINING OUTCOMES
delivered at the Barangaroo Skills Exchange
40
+
PEOPLE
PARTICIPATED IN THE MORE HELP FOR
MATURE AGE WORKERS RETRAINING PROGRAM
140 70 Around
368
undertaking trade skills training at the Barangaroo Skills Exchange
WORKERS
UNDERTOOK WORKPLACE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LITERACY & NUMERACY ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
BARANGAROO SOUTH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP A CROSS BUSINESS COLLABORATION WITH OUR FIRST 6 TENANTS
9,182
SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT THE PROJECT THROUGH TOURS AND DESIGN THINKING PROGRAMS
DELIVERING APPROXIMATELY 30% OF THE LONG TERM TARGET SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 5
Andrew
Wilson
MANAGING DIRECTOR, BARANGAROO SOUTH, LEND LEASE
When putting together this inaugural Annual Report on Sustainability The second is the concept of legacy. No one here looks at the for Barangaroo South, we were faced with a bit of a challenge on sustainability targets for Barangaroo South as stand-alone figures how best to present what we are doing. Of course the numbers are that sit on a page. They are part of a long term plan to create, or important, but they do not begin to tell the whole story. Whenever I rather re-create a part of Sydney that will stand the test of time for walk through the site, I know all of the work that the team has put the community and the city. We are not simply happy with making into achieving our sustainability objectives, but it is hard – at this something new, it has to be the best for the long term outcome. stage –to illustrate this in raw data alone. The other idea that drives us is innovation. Sustainability at Ultimately, sustainability is about people. So instead of just Barangaroo South represents the possibilities that ingenuity and producing a report full of statistics, we thought we would try to bring innovation can bring to the built environment sector. In order to the figures to life by telling the story through the people who are make it this way, we have to be willing to push ourselves into new making it all happen. Interwoven
ways of thinking and challenging
throughout the interviews are data
the status quo. Many people talk
points that show how much we
about innovation, but at Barangaroo
have achieved and are on our way to making a reality. When taken as a whole, three really important ideas stand out from our work to date.
TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING THIS HAPPEN
South, there is a constant desire to push the envelope and do something extraordinary. We have also decided to highlight some of our initial investors and tenants in this report, as they are a
The first is the incredible teamwork
critical part of the sustainability story
that it takes to make Barangaroo
at Barangaroo South. We will not be
South possible. Comprised of
able to meet the ambitious goals we
passionate, knowledgeable experts, each member of our team have set unless the people who will occupy, own and operate the takes responsibility for delivering new sustainability thinking and buildings are as committed to the sustainability aspirations of the sees what they are doing as a challenge. The team is not just those project as we are. working at Barangaroo South, but are the investors, suppliers, tenants, subcontractors, community, and also the larger Lend Lease I hope you find this inaugural Sustainability Report informative and group management. Together we are making it happen.
interesting, and that you will continue to follow our progress year after year as we create this exciting new part of Sydney.
6 Barangaroo South
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 7
8 Barangaroo South
Anita
Mitchell
GENERAL MANAGER SUSTAINABILITY, BARANGAROO SOUTH, LEND LEASE
Working in the hive of creativity, innovation and inventiveness that
The management of Lend Lease is passionate about making
is Barangaroo South requires everyone to pitch in to achieve our
Barangaroo South a showcase of what can be done when you
ground-breaking objectives in sustainability.
combine extremely smart people and a company that is willing to let them use their initiative, to try something new – to do everything
But no one person can achieve sustainability. It is very much a
the best way possible.
team approach. Sustainability is part of everyone’s role – and in every part of their role.
The company encourages its people to challenge the status quo – not to build the quickest, cheapest, most convenient option but to
Anita Mitchell co-ordinates and manages the social and
make it a legacy for the people of Sydney. It wants Barangaroo to
environmental sustainability outcomes of the project. She tries
be seen as a world-class development so that in 10 or 20 years’
to get people to think differently about what they do every day, to
time it will still be proud of what it did there, as it is of what it did
make it more sustainable. Whether it’s the materials the design
with the MLC Centre or Australia Square in Sydney.
teams choose or the way the buildings are constructed, everyone involved in Barangaroo South needs to contribute for us to deliver sustainability in all aspects of what we do. This massive project is fast paced and extremely complicated, so trying to juggle all its aspects is difficult. Fortunately, those involved in the bid process thought through many of the sustainability initiatives at that stage. They examined the cost implications of what
There’s little doubt that Barangaroo South is acting as a beacon to other developers and cities, to show what can be done in terms of sustainability. And many are taking up the challenge.
they wanted to do and put down targets which set them up for success through the design and construction phases. But realising
Suppliers, too, are starting to offer the market solutions we have
and delivering those objectives is inevitably more complicated than
piloted with them at Barangaroo. Some now offer a carbon neutral
coming up with the creative ideas.
product or an embodied carbon assessment of what they produce based on what they have learnt through working with us. It is
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 9
this genuine change that will be one of the many lasting effects Barangaroo has on our industry. No other developer is doing what Lend Lease is doing in integrating sustainability principles in the precinct’s infrastructure – complicated though it is. For building owners this means they will not own standalone equipment – they will share it with other owners. This is difficult to implement but it is a blueprint for developments of the future. “What we’re most proud of,” Anita says, “is that everyone who comes to work on Barangaroo wants to do something a little bit special. That makes my job easier because people often come to me with ideas, rather than me having to push them.” Lend Lease is known for giving its staff the room to do something new. A good example is the LED lighting on the project.
installing more than
30,000 LED fixtures
Initially, LED was to be used only for down lights because designers had been told the technology would not be widely available until after Barangaroo South was built. Not content with that, some team members were sent on an overseas study tour to find out for themselves. As a result of their findings, LED will now be used throughout the precinct – installing more than 30,000 LED fixtures. In addition to these successes, Barangaroo South is tracking well on its target of 97 per cent of construction waste being recycled. The goal means that other than materials such as contaminated soil that legally have to be sent to landfill, more than 97 per cent of the rest of the construction waste is recycled via a huge waste diversion facility in outer Sydney. For instance, bits of concrete are used for road base, plasterboard is made into more plasterboard, and plywood reused or chipped. Having designed the buildings to incorporate innovative sustainability features, it is exciting to see these concepts come to life as the buildings come out of the ground. We are extremely proud of what we have delivered to date and are on track to achieve our ambitious goal of making Barangaroo the new benchmark in terms of its economic, social and environmental outcomes.
10 Barangaroo South
10,488
TONNES OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE
BEING RECYCLED
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 11
Geoff
Dutaillis GROUP HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, LEND LEASE
12 Barangaroo South
IT IS GREAT TO BE
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL COMMUNITY BUT WE HAD TO ASK OURSELVES WHAT THAT WILL DO FOR PEOPLE? IT HAS TO IMPROVE PEOPLE’S LIVES. For Geoff Dutaillis, Barangaroo is a unique opportunity to make a positive contribution to Sydney, a global city, through partnership and innovation. Barangaroo harnesses the scale and scope of Lend Lease’s activities to tackle global issues at a local level. Sustainability is a word that can easily be confused. For Lend Lease, it is quite simply about people. “If you have that consciousness, you have a different approach. You want to create a place that is going to welcome people and accept people. A place that respects the environment, contributes to society and delivers economic value.” From a leadership perspective, the objectives around the usual suspects of energy, water and waste are impressive. What the group is equally proud of is the social dimension. He says, “We are proud to create Australia’s first carbon neutral community, but we
WHAT THE GROUP IS EQUALLY PROUD OF IS THE
SOCIAL DIMENSION
had to ask ourselves what that will do for people? It has to improve people’s lives.” But as Geoff knows, you don’t get a great result like this without constructive tension. “Profit with a purpose is what we believe,” says Geoff. “Our founder, Dick Dusseldorp, said ‘Lend Lease has to be profitable … if profit stops, everything else stops with it.’” However, according to this philosophy, it is what being profitable allows you to do that matters, as well as how you make it. The why you do what you do, should drive the how and what you do.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 13
“There is very little tension when you show that you can make a profit in a way that includes delivering value in other ways to all involved.” Geoff recognises the positive legacy that the Barangaroo Skills Exchange will leave on Sydney’s construction industry. The mantra of the project from day one was about leaving a positive legacy for Sydney. “That is what Barangaroo should do. It is part of a city, not just an island. It has to give back to Sydney, not just take from it.” Of course, one person, or even a few people, committing to the sustainability vision for Barangaroo cannot accomplish this. Every member of the team understands it is not about them and they won’t deliver it on their own - and that the team is broader than just the Lend Lease team. It includes suppliers, local community partners, government partners, businesses, future tenants and residents, and eventually the operations and management team. When thinking about the key targets, Geoff says that the ones that make Lend Lease truly excited are the ones where they want to do even better than what they originally set as objectives. “We will work tirelessly to improve on our sustainability targets and to not just meet, but to exceed the ambitious targets that we originally set ourselves,” says Geoff. “We don’t know exactly how we are going to do it. That makes us nervous, however it is a good nervous. That makes us and the rest of the teams excited and energised, it challenges us to be innovative and collaborative in the use of materials and technology to get us there.”
14 Barangaroo South
OVER
7,660
TRAINING OUTCOMES
DELIVERED AT THE ONSITE BARANGAROO SKILLS EXCHANGE (BSX) TRAINING FACILITY SO FAR
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 15
16 Barangaroo South
Rowan
Griffin
HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LEND LEASE
TAKING ACCOUNT OF
CLIMATE CHANGE IS A CRITICAL FACTOR IN THE STRENGTH OF THE BARANGAROO PROJECT
Climate change – as manifested by extreme weather events and how these might affect a building and its use – is an important factor in investment decision making. The design and construction must be resilient and provide flexible outcomes so the building can operate in changing weather events and patterns, to provide protection to its occupants. This is a strong aspect of Lend Lease’s design for Barangaroo South. The acknowledgement of the effects of climate change was behind the decision to raise the precinct’s ground plane to make it less vulnerable to sea surges. That then necessitated the redirecting of surrounding area storm water systems so that surrounding areas would not be flooded if extreme weather events were to occur. For Rowan Griffin, Lend Lease’s Head of Sustainability for Investment Management, taking account of climate change is a critical factor in the strength of the Barangaroo project as an asset. “Allowing for future weather events makes good investment sense,” he says. Rowan, who came to Lend Lease only a few months ago, says Barangaroo South is his first experience of a project that has sustainability built into its core.
“Lend Lease is absolutely committed to breaking new ground.” SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 17
Many of the environmental effects of development and how to ameliorate them have been known for years but Lend Lease is pushing this to the next level – for instance, by being carbon neutral and water positive. Among the investors in Barangaroo South is the Commercial Australian Prime Property Fund. Its sustainability objective is to provide a greener fund to attract investors and tenants by investment in buildings that have 5-6-star Green Star rating and perform above a 5 star NABERS Energy and 4-1/2 star NABERS Water rating. It is also looking at the social sustainability outcomes provided by its office buildings – whether they are sufficiently flexible to service tenants’ requirements and offer smarter ways to use buildings by providing the amenity to increase human performance and flexibility, such as through activity-based working.
The biggest cost of a business in offices is the human element and the happier people are at work, the more productive they are. That means outcomes and results and profits are better. Rowan regards Barangaroo South as a trophy asset that will be one of Australia’s best office buildings. He is especially impressed by the organisation of the site – it runs like clockwork and puts great emphasis on safe work practices. When the construction is finished, the challenge will be on the social side – how to integrate the precinct back into Sydney’s overall city fabric. But with the frameworks and structures Lend Lease is putting in place for communication among tenants, owners and authorities, the precinct should be well on the way to achieving that.
18 Barangaroo South
GREAT EMPHASIS ON
SAFE WORK PRACTICES
Artist's impression only as at October 2014 subject to planning approval and change.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 19
20 Barangaroo South
Liam
Timms
FUND MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL TOWERS SYDNEY TRUST
When Australians started enjoying some of the innovations that make our lives pleasant, such as air conditioning, we did not know the consequences of those new comforts. Likewise, some actions, processes and methods that are unthinkable now were commonplace in times past. Since then, companies, governments and citizens have done a lot to repair the damage and to make what we do more sustainable, environmentally and socially.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN
TECHNOLOGY & NEW SYSTEMS
Now, cutting-edge companies such as Lend Lease are trying to anticipate the environmental and social effects of what they do and to improve the outcome. And importantly, according to Liam Timms, Fund Lend Lease’s approach is that what is achieved on this project is Manager of Lend Lease International Towers not the be-all and end-all in innovation. There will be continuous Sydney, we now discuss in great depth and detail improvements in technology and, while what is being done now is the consequences of what we might do.
cutting edge, new systems, technology and behaviour will emerge.
He sees Barangaroo South as an opportunity to
“We have to keep thinking about what these opportunities are and be open to adopting them,” Liam says.
implement on a broad scale many of the good things that have been done piecemeal before. Because of the scale of this project, some processes or methods that would not be practicable on a smaller site can be achieved at Barangaroo South.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 21
“We live in a fragile environment and we have an obligation as custodians to do the best we can, so future generations can enjoy what we have now.”
A SHARED
RAP MEANS EVERYONE WILL BE WORKING TOWARDS
COMMON GOALS
One important aspect of the project is the shared Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) being developed to provide a framework to improve relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. It will be a precinct-wide alliance to create a neighbourhood that provides a positive experience for people to work, live and visit. While each corporate tenant on the site will have its own objectives, a shared Reconciliation Action Plan means everyone will be working towards common goals. Over time, without a RAP, there would not be the framework to ensure these common goals were pursued with the same commitment. Often the ways the social aspects of a development can be improved are obvious and basic – so obvious they can be obscured by the complex systems and procedures instituted to achieve sustainability. Some improvements come in day-to-day practices and frequently they are things that have not been done before. On an environmental level, securing a 6-star Green Star Design rating for Tower 2 is a huge achievement. But for investors, achieving the As-built Green Star rating will tell them how the buildings are
TOWER 2 HAS ACHIEVED A
6-STAR
GREEN STAR
DESIGN V3 RATING
expected to perform long term. It is one of the reasons they are prepared to invest. And, in time, those who invest in Barangaroo South will reap the benefits of a well considered and sustainably constructed. They want to know now that what they’re putting their money into will be worthwhile into the future. The sustainability objectives that Lend Lease invests in today will have an impact forever. Providing long-term sustainability outcomes makes Barangaroo South more appealing to tenants who are forward thinking and want to attract and retain high levels of talent in their organisations.
22 Barangaroo South
Artist's impression only as at October 2014 subject to planning approval and change.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 23
Uma
Springford PROJECT MANAGER, BARANGAROO SOUTH
Barangaroo South is practically synonymous with innovative construction. We are at the forefront of looking at embodied carbon – the stuff created in the production and transport of building materials, as well as the carbon emissions generated by construction. As part of the project’s agreement with the state government through the Barangaroo Delivery Authority, all the commercial buildings have to achieve a 6-star Green Star rating and the residential buildings a 5-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The project also has targets under the National Australian Built Environment Rating System. Barangaroo South has already been awarded a 6-star Green Star for the design of the Tower 2 commercial building. Now the challenge is to maintain that rating because every component of the building, even the carpet, has to be approved. The next target is to gain a Green Star in the “as built” category. Achieving a 6-star Green Star certification for Tower 2 was a major milestone for the team. It means that building has the highest award from the Green Building Council of Australia for a commercial tower, which makes it one of the most sustainable high rise buildings in Australia, if not the world.
24 Barangaroo South
THE PROJECT IS TARGETING
6-STAR
GREEN STAR
FOR THE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AND
5-STAR
GREEN STAR FOR RESIDENTIAL
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 25
The Barangaroo South team wants to change industry culture, to spur suppliers and contractors to look for less obvious solutions, to go outside the realm of “tried and tested”, to do better for the environment. The commitment and passion of the teams to
TARGETING EMBODIED CARBON
-20%
COMPARED TO STANDARD CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE
achieve this is palpable. As a result, some suppliers have agreed to obtain a carbon-neutral certification on their goods because they can see benefits in a new way of doing things. Barangaroo South is now achieving close to best practice in all categories. Barangaroo South aims to be water positive, targeting embodied carbon by 20 per cent compared to standard construction practice and to be carbon neutral in operation. The role of Uma Springford, the Project Manager, is to negotiate with suppliers, designers, architects, consultants and, finally, the construction team, to do things differently – to do things in ways they might never have thought of before. She emphasises that it has been a team effort.
TARGETING CARBON NEUTRAL
IN OPERATION
Part of the challenge in meeting sustainability targets is to integrate new methods and materials rather than having them look like add-ons. A great deal of modelling was done to examine how the building designs, shapes and heights would respond to the environment, to ensure the best, most sustainable, result was achieved. For example, modelling was done on the sun’s path around the buildings to determine how best to minimise energy use, glare from the windows and to get the best use of daylight. The result was vertical shades that follow the sun and adapt to sun patterns
90,000L
RAINWATER TANKS IN EACH COMMERCIAL TOWER
at different times of the year. The fins will be tapered so that the higher part of the windows receives less sun and the lower part more. This design will also use less aluminium. Another challenge was ensuring there are enough solar panels on the buildings to offset carbon emissions from energy needed to power the recycled water treatment plant, which will capture water and reuse it for toilet flushing and landscaping.
26 Barangaroo South
Artist's impression only as at October 2014 subject to planning approval and change.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 27
Andrew
Boutchard DEVELOPMENT MANAGER INFRASTRUCTURE, LEND LEASE
The district cooling plant is definitely the star performer of Barangaroo South’s infrastructure, the main focus of the design is to reduce the consumption of resources, specifically water and electricity. The plant will draw and then return over 15 gigalitres of water per year from Sydney Harbour to reject the heat from the chilled water plant servicing the air conditioning systems of all the Barangaroo South’s buildings. Traditionally cooling towers are used for heat rejection but they are less energy efficient and large consumers of potable water in comparison to the harbour water heat rejection system. No potable water will be used for air conditioning systems heat rejection at Barangaroo South. The warm harbour water discharged back into the harbour will dissipate heat within several metres of the point of discharge. Energy-efficient variable speed technology has been the basis of design and selection of the chiller plant and associated pumping systems. The chilled water plant will have an ultimate peak cooling capacity of 72MWr. Using the harbour water means that up to 100 million litres of potable water a year will not be taken from Sydney’s mains supply. But using harbour water is not without its challenges – in particular, managing the corrosive nature of sea water and equipment fouling as a consequence of marine life entering the harbour heat rejection system.
28 Barangaroo South
THE COOLING PLANT
100
WILL SAVE UP TO
MILLION
LITRES
OF POTABLE WATER
FROM SYDNEY’S MAIN NETWORK
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 29
Barangaroo South will have a filtration system that treats the majority of marine life where it enters the system. High pressure filtration technology sourced from Germany will be a first use of such technology in Australia. The use of suitable materials has been critical in the selection of plant and equipment. Titanium chiller tubes, tubeplates, special coatings
RAIN WATER FROM
90 000 LITRE TANKS ,
IN EACH OF THE COMMERCIAL TOWERS
and the use of non ferrous pipework are utilised for the harbour heat rejection system to deal with the challenging environment. Barangaroo South will have the biggest air conditioning plant in Australia, with 14 to 16 chiller machines ultimately installed in the central basement to service all Barangaroo South’s buildings, whether for commercial, residential, retail or other use. Operating the air conditioning plant on a “district” basis will deliver efficiencies far better than if buildings were to be serviced by a standalone air conditioning plant. This is achieved as a consequence of combining cooling load diversities provided across the various buildings and tenant usage with the harbour heat rejection and use of efficient plant. This combination has also resulted in reduced peak electrical demands to the electrical infrastructure. The on-site recycled water plant will be capable of capturing and treating 1 million litres a day of waste water for the supply of recycled water to Barangaroo
CENTRAL CHILLED WATER PLANT RUNNING
70MWr
USING ENERGY EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY
South and surrounding areas. Rain water from 90,000-litre tanks in each of the commercial towers will be used for irrigation of landscaped areas.
But Barangaroo South goes further. Its objective is to be “water positive”, which means exporting more recycled water than the potable water it uses on site. Turning that into reality will require persuading other organisations to connect their buildings to Barangaroo South’s system.
30 Barangaroo South
Further innovations include the approach to the engineering services communications networks. A fibre optic-based integrated communications network will provide the backbone for services such as building management, security and lighting control systems instead of having separate, dedicated “backbones” for each system. Having one “highway” for all systems will potentially save many kilometres of copper. For Andrew, the past year has been about “getting the best and most efficient infrastructure design we could for the precinct. We believe we’ve done as much design due diligence as we could and have had the smartest and most experienced people to come up
THOUSANDS OF KM OF COPPER WILL BE SAVED WITH
ONE ‘HIGHWAY’ FOR ALL INTERCOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
with the design solutions. Now the critical thing will be bringing those systems into operation for delivering efficient performance.” He has been pleasantly surprised that the performance predicted for many parts of the design exceeds what leading industry professionals now consider best practice. “The district cooling plant especially would be right up there on a global basis. It would be hard to find anything that compares with the performance we’re intending to achieve.”
“We need to make sure we’re on the leading edge, that we have the best of the best available on the market now.” Two years ago the design was at a stage where it was probably best practice by Australian standards. The designers then measured
THE DISTRICT COOLING PLANT WOULD BE RIGHT UP THERE ON GLOBAL BASIS
that on a global scale and came back with technology that was not being implemented in Australia. Those initiatives were then incorporated in a design that was already quite evolved. A challenge for the future will be that the buildings can be maintained easily and safely, that the components have good longevity, and parts can be replaced. The design needs to be adaptable as time goes on so that as new knowledge produces more efficient systems, they can be incorporated.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 31
Darryl
Stuckey SUSTAINABILITY ANALYST, LEND LEASE
Reducing the embodied carbon in the Barangaroo South towers by 20 per cent was always going to be a big ask. And it was clear from the start that it was going to be necessary to target key materials such as the concrete, aluminium and steel in the project. But first, Darryl Stuckey, the project’s Sustainability Analyst, had to develop a meaningful baseline or point of reference from which to measure the embodied carbon reduction against. The baseline needed to reflect contemporary standard construction practice and provide a significant challenge to design, procurement and project delivery teams, a challenge that would stimulate innovation, encourage greater collaboration with our supply chain and deliver buildings with significantly lower embodied carbon impact.
“There can be quite a big variation in the embodied carbon between buildings making it difficult to simply point a single past project or building as a relevant baseline.” A development like Barangaroo has quite a number of unique attributes that make it difficult to benchmark in a meaningful way. For example, the development has a sea wall, and International Towers Sydney have higher than average floor to ceiling heights
32 Barangaroo South
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 33
and are designed to enable higher occupant densities. The structural design of the Towers also provide for intertenancy stair penetrations and the buildings, bathrooms and firestairs have all been designed beyond industry standard and accessibility codes. The entire precinct is also serviced by a central basement and central chilled water plant. All of these factors make it difficult to select an appropriate set of existing buildings as a benchmark.� In the end it was decided to benchmark Barangaroo South against itself. By benchmarking the design at a point in time it was possible to measure how building it more sustainably compared with the way it could have been built using typical design and construction practices and a standard palette of materials and products. Concrete represents over a quarter of the embodied carbon impact
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS ON
20 TOP MATERIALS USED ON SITE
WILL BE CONDUCTED
of the project and the cement binder component of this concrete is by far the main contributor to this. It was therefore important to reduce the embodied carbon as much as possible by optimising mixes and substituting cement with mineral additions and waste products such as fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag. Barangaroo has also been used as a test bed for emerging concrete technology, utilising up to 65 per cent cement replacement within specific building elements. As part of the competitive tender process used to select our concrete supplier for the project, we assessed the embodied carbon performance of different concrete mix and supply options. This information was used to inform our tender selection process and also identify an optimal set of mix designs that would maximise our embodied carbon reduction opportunity while still meeting our structural performance and construction schedules. In addition to this, a significant amount of the concrete used in the Barangaroo South project will be batched on site. Having a concrete batching plant on site helps to reduce the number of agitator trucks required for the project and results in a net saving in carbon emissions associated with the transport of concrete to site.
34 Barangaroo South
65% CEMENT
REPLACEMENT WITHIN SPECIFIC BUILDING ELEMENTS
Steel reinforcement, a significant factor in construction, is an area Darryl works internally with designers, architects and structural in which embodied carbon savings needed to be achieved on the engineers, and externally with suppliers to help the project deliver project. We are targeting 20 per cent reduction in the carbon intensity on its sustainability objectives. This includes the tendering process of the reinforcing steel for the project. This represents a 4 per cent and engaging with procurement teams at Lend Lease to identify contribution to our overall embodied carbon target.
potential low carbon opportunities.
Lend Lease worked closely with its reinforcing steel suppliers to The tendering process for key trade packages is designed to identify understand the life cycle and embodied carbon impact of various and quantify innovation opportunities that will deliver tangible supply options.
embodied carbon savings to the project. Part of this process includes a questionnaire to the potential tenderer targeting six key areas.
This information was used to establish carbon intensity targets for supply of reinforcing steel into the project and has led us to securing increased recycled steel content in our reinforcing beyond business as usual.
These include: Dematerialisation ‘what can be done to make the same product with less material without degrading its performance or durability’; Material substitution, ‘what options are there for substituting lower embodied carbon materials or components within your product’; Recycled content, ‘how can the recycled content within the product be maximised’; Manufacturing and Sourcing, ‘What are you doing to use best available technology to manufacture and optimise the sourcing arrangements within your own supply
It has also resulted in implementing a strategy to maximise supply of chain’; Logistics and Packaging, ‘how can you get your product to reinforcing steel manufactured from our suppliers most efficient and the site more efficiently and reduce the carbon impact of materials least carbon intensive steel mill. Furthermore, our contract provides handling and transport’; and finally, Carbon offsetting, ‘are there an option to utilise 100 per cent green power in reinforcing steel opportunities to offset the carbon impact of your product and have produced via electric arc furnaces, providing further opportunity this certified against a credible third party certification scheme’. for embodied carbon reductions. This approach to tendering has yielded a number of opportunities Barangaroo South has a commitment to conduct life cycle including a significant reduction in the aluminium used in the vertical assessments on the 20 top materials used on the site so that better shading of the windows for the project’s first commercial tower. A ways can be found to reduce the embodied carbon in materials specific design solution proposed by the successful tenderer resulted and construction techniques.
in a more compact bracing system and a significant lightweighting of the vertical shading element using a smart design innovation that
Darryl believes the project’s bigger legacy is to be a catalyst enabled this to be achieved without creating noise and vibration for change in the wider industry to help incentivise suppliers to issues. One other example includes a commitment made by our examine the life cycle impacts of their products, encourage the access floor provider to conduct a complete life cycle assessment publication of environmental product declarations, and to support of their product, implement an emissions management plan and greater collaboration between builders and product suppliers in achieve third party carbon neutral certification for the project. our efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of our buildings.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 35
36 Barangaroo South
Graham
Carter SUSTAINABLE DESIGN MANAGER, LEND LEASE
One of the key figures in the design planning is Graham Carter, Sustainable Design Manager for Lend Lease, who manages the sustainable design team. His team acts as an internal ESD consultant. Over the last four years they have consulted primarily on the design and construction of the buildings and infrastructure at Barangaroo South, overseeing the environmental design of the buildings and management of the precinct’s carbon budget. There are so many things one could talk about in terms of what we have and will accomplish. If I had to summarise what is different at Barangaroo South, for me it comes down to engagement and collaboration on many levels. Small improvements in many areas have led to significant improvements over standard market practices. At Barangaroo South, tenants are two thirds of the solution. Traditionally our commitments have focused on base building performance, often neglecting tenant performance. But here the tenants are part of the carbon boundary from the outset. This necessitated a different and earlier engagement process with our
2/3 TENANTS ARE
OF THE SOLUTION
TO REDUCE CARBON INTENSITY
tenants – one where you can bring them along the sustainability journey and achieve alignment prior to those intentions being written into an Agreement for Lease. Education has been critical to express energy targets and carbon neutrality in terms they can understand. Importantly, International Towers sets tenants up for success through the provision of fully demand controlled LED lighting, dehumidified supplementary outdoor air and high grade supplementary chilled
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 37
water which collectively enable the tenants to significantly lower
conditions. The level of engagement with the chiller supplier is
their carbon footprint without changing behaviours or ICT standards.
unprecedented in their experience – it has led to better outcomes that would not have otherwise been achieved.
We have also engaged with our supply chain in new ways and have broadened and deepened the process we have used in choosing partners and products. It is difficult to bring about change in the absence of facts and information. Once we had generated that information, the team was then able to set up the right conversations and engage the suppliers, construction teams and designers to make decisions together for the best outcomes. This has led to innovations
“This project provides the opportunity for Lend Lease to be its best and for it to bring together all of its expertise.” said Graham.
not just in the concrete mixes, but in how we build the structure. The
“When I interview young people, I always say our greatest
latter would not have occurred unless the embodied carbon could
challenges are not technical ones. Our biggest challenges are
be expressed in a way that was relevant to key stakeholders. We
around communication and influence. If you can get the people
have also seen suppliers step up and offer carbon neutral flooring
who have the ability to make a decision on board - that is the
as part of a competitive tender process.
biggest challenge and opportunity.
The conversations have started and we should see momentum continue to build and further innovations arise within our supply chain as a result of the efforts at Barangaroo South.
At Lend Lease we are able to bring the right people together to influence those decisions which have led to step change and incremental improvements throughout the project.”
Selection of our chiller supplier is another example of how engagement with our supply chain has led to innovation and improved environmental outcomes. At Barangaroo South we are targeting a level of district cooling plant performance we have not seen before. Prior to finalising the design and specifications for the plant we outlined to the suppliers how we envisaged the plant to run and the typical operating conditions. This contrasts with current industry practice that typically only looks at chillers based on standard part load and full load rating conditions. By being specific and comprehensive in this manner, the suppliers were then able to respond by optimising their machine design and controls to maximise performance at the likely operating
38 Barangaroo South
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 39
Annie
Tennant
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, URBAN REGENERATION
Barangaroo South is to be much more than some clever buildings using leading-edge materials and construction methods. It will also be a beautiful environment for residents, workers, tourists to spend leisure time – active or passive. Indeed, 50 per cent of the total area of Barangaroo South is to be public open space. So the landscape designers and architects faced Another aspect of social sustainability is fostering healthy living by a huge challenge to decide how that space would be used and by providing not only open spaces for recreation and relaxation but the whom and to design it accordingly.
framework for tenants and residents to participate in community activities. In the end, healthier living means increased productivity
Annie Tennant, the development manager for public domain and at work. public art, sees it as her role to make sure those who use this space – not only when it is shiny-new, but years down the track – It should offer a range of opportunities to enjoy different kinds of have the most inviting surroundings to enjoy. And ensuring social events – to have a coffee, watch a film, enjoy a glass of wine as sustainability in providing this setting is top of her list – whether the sun goes down over the harbour, see some wonderful art, walk in the type of pavement laid, the species of trees (not only how along the foreshore, paddle in the water. many but whether they are maintainable), the seating, the lighting and artworks.
The intention of the design is to blur the edges between public open spaces and retail outlets such as restaurants and cafés.
The public space cannot be monotonous and needs to have a life beyond 5pm when many of the workers in the commercial towers The Cove will be a particular feature, providing access to the water will go home. The space needs to work well 24 hours a day, and for for all ages and types of people. Safety will obviously be a big factor everyone – residents, workers, those staying in the hotel, children but others include how to make it accessible to all, how big the steps and casual visitors.
40 Barangaroo South
should be and whether it needs shade.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 41
Paramount is to make it a usable, fun, inviting place that is respectful of the harbour’s previous lives and future uses. Barangaroo is an extremely significant site in the Indigenous and industrial history of Sydney so its heritage should be properly acknowledged and marked. The Hungry Mile (Hickson Road) is of great importance in the city’s industrial history, being so named by dockworkers during the Depression when they would walk from wharf to wharf in an often fruitless search for a job.
Its history will be revealed in interpretative artwork along one side of the Barangaroo site and extending to the sandstone cutting in Hickson Road.
50%
OF TOTAL AREA
OF BARANGAROO SOUTH IS PUBLIC OPEN SPACE
Barangaroo South’s special position on Sydney Harbour means that in keeping with the project’s sustainability aspirations, what it builds at the wharf needs to enhance the marine environment. So the team is working with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) on a baseline marine ecology survey to see what life forms exist now, before structures such as a seawall and piers are built, to assist in informing the design to provide a habitat that encourages native rather than invasive species. In addition, the team has recently received a grant from the Australian Research Council to look at Barangaroo as a case study for marine recolonisation. Barangaroo South is working with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) on how to clean up the surrounding harbour. SIMS has cameras under the harbour, which could give Barangaroo an opportunity to use images on digital screens that will be placed through the development. Signage totems will also be used to showcase some of the great sustainability achievements of Barangaroo – the amount of energy or water saved, the biodiversity, the habitat. And they will provide a site for artists’ creations.
42 Barangaroo South
BARANGAROO IS AN
EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT SITE IN THE INDIGENOUS AND INDUSTRIAL
HISTORY OF SYDNEY
The southern façade of the Alexander building (R9), a residential building on the waterfront, will be given over to an Indigenous artwork. Annie’s team has engaged an Indigenous curator who will be mentored by Hetti Perkins, a member of the Barangaroo Delivery
THE PLAN IS TO PROVIDE A HABITAT THAT
ENCOURAGES NATIVE SPECIES
Authority arts panel. Perkins is resident curator of Bangarra Dance Theatre and a former curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the Art Gallery of NSW. Some of the works will be integrated with the buildings and others installed in the public spaces. Because the site is part of the public domain and an extension of the city, the search will begin soon for artists interested in creating a site wide artwork. In an innovative approach, 12 Australian and international artists will be asked to respond to the site as a whole and propose their idea to us. The location is not set, the site is totally open to the artist. Each artist will be able to respond to how the archaeology and marine and industrial history inspire them and how they would represent that inspiration. Annie is excited by the enormously talented team with whom she works. Their constant challenge is to work out what will bring people to Barangaroo South. “In this job you can keep coming up with ideas and you get to try things out. I have ideas but I also bring in big brains.” She is particularly pleased with the waterfront structure – a beautiful, simple and elegant frame that will visually connect to the trees. There will also be a lawn area and steps to a waterfront promenade where people wait for the ferry. Instead of ordinary park lights, there will be poles with down lights with a blue filter, giving a magical, moonlit effect.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 43
Joanne Nolan Ro Coroneos BARANGAROO SKILLS EXCHANGE
A cornerstone of the project’s social sustainability program is the Barangaroo Skills Exchange (BSX), an industry collaboration for training and skilling that is perhaps unprecedented in the construction industry in Australia. It aims to increase the skills of its construction workers, not only for safety reasons on the site, but to make employees more marketable after the project is finished – to improve their prospects for future economic participation in an increasingly competitive and highly skilled industry.
For many workers this is their first experience of accredited training. For others it is a chance to formalise qualifications for skills they
To this end the Barangaroo project has received federal funding of
already have. Some might have left school early, or they might
$7.3 million through the Skills Connect program.
come from a non-English speaking background. Training might be a fear-provoking experience. The Barangaroo Skills Exchange also
Partnering with TAFE as the lead training provider on the site,
offers workplace English language literacy assessments (WELL) and
The Barangaroo Skills Exchange collaborates with industry to
training. Often this is integrated into the site induction process or
enable construction workers to improve their trade skills and gain
trade skills training elements, with almost 600 WELL assessments
accreditation, and provides support for those wanting to improve
and enrolments achieved to date.
their literacy and numeracy. The vocational training is available to young people straight from school or TAFE, or they may be workers who have been doing a job for years but have never gained formal qualifications. The lifelong learning concept is open to all ages and apply to life as well as trade skills.
44 Barangaroo South
A key requirement of Barangaroo South’s social strategy is that 20 per cent of all skilled trade work on site be done by either apprentices or people in some form of training.
$7.3M
FEDERAL FUNDING
THROUGH THE SKILLS CONNECT PROGRAM
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 45
So agreements with subcontractors and suppliers included a clause that a mandated percentage of workers be apprentices. Retaining apprentices is a difficulty in many industries and with Barangaroo South having over 120 apprentices to date, it has been a priority to engage at least two Apprentice Mentors on site, with one specifically for Indigenous workers. WorkCover training is essential with 100 questions required to obtain the work health safety credential. But, answering any one of 80 of the questions incorrectly means automatic failure. BSX’s record for first-time entrants is 92 per cent, compared with less than 50 per cent in the industry. About 140 courses are on offer and training is provided in groups or with individuals, on site whenever possible. It is always in the context of the work the employee is doing there so what is learnt is immediately applicable to the job. And there have been some outstanding successes. One was a worker, who came to Australia from Cambodia when he was eight. His poor language skills were holding him back. But he was ambitious. He wanted to work for Lend Lease. With help and guidance from BSX, he qualified for an apprenticeship. He now attends TAFE and works at Barangaroo South. One was a crane driver who wanted to be a Workcover assessor. But he was struggling with his TAFE course – until he sought help through the BSX. He now has more confidence and improved digital and time management skills to help him obtain his qualification.
The BSX works partly because it is so convenient. The employees don’t have to travel. If it’s raining they can’t work on site. So they can pop into the BSX for training. And more and more of them are doing that. In fact, there have been over 7,660 training outcomes delivered so far through the BSX. The assistance on offer also includes life skills and help with physical and mental wellbeing. Joanne Nolan, who works for TAFE on site
46 Barangaroo South
140
COURSES OFFERED
AND TRAINING, MENTORING AND SUPPORT PROVIDED TO WORKERS ON SITE
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 47
as the operations manager of BSX, says the number of workers seeking help for physical or mental health problems in the past year has grown because it is so readily available. BSX works closely with MATES in Construction, a community organisation aimed at reducing suicide and improving mental health and wellbeing in the industry. Everyone attends a MATES induction and a representative of MATES is on site every day. Indigenous employment is a particular focus of the BSX. The project wants to have no fewer than 500 Indigenous workers involved in some way over the life of the 10-year project. Working with Koori Job Ready, part of the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, Barangaroo South now has more than 40 indigenous people on site, some of whom are apprentices. Some come through labour hire companies and need upskilling. BSX staff work with them to obtain training and to refine their resumĂŠs so that
500
+
INDIGENOUS WORKERS WILL BE INVOLVED IN SOME WAY IN THE PROJECT
if a full-time job becomes available, they have a good chance to get it. Barangaroo has recently set up an Indigenous hub on site and has appointed an Indigenous co-ordinator to work closely with the BSX to focus on training opportunities and employment pathways. The co-ordinator is based at Barangaroo but also works with other Lend Lease sites. Ro Coroneos, the manager of community and social strategy, says the idea is to build relationships with Indigenous communities, provide a channel for referral services and a connection point for employment, apprenticeships and training. The hub will have connections with local Aboriginal land councils and community groups. She expects this strategy to help Barangaroo South reach the 500 target more quickly. But more important than the target is the longterm outcome for Indigenous people – working in construction and non-construction industries and in professional, small business, as well as trades roles. Because safety is so important, the BSX gives extra training to leading hands and foremen in public speaking, communication, safety, and team and confidence building. It aims to put 150 through the course by the end of 2014.
48 Barangaroo South
ADDITIONAL SAFETY TRAINING TO
150
LEADING HANDS & FOREMEN
BY THE END OF 2014
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 49
50 Barangaroo South
Ro Coroneos
Alisa Hitchcock
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
All this requires building partnerships – establishing cohesion, Ro Coroneous, Manager of Community and Social Strategy, says: connections, co-operation, a community of interests to collaborate “What has been a real privilege here is the tacit permission from on projects. Barangaroo South’s role is to set up these structures, Lend Lease to experiment, to trial things. I’ll think ‘we should do X, which will later be taken over and run by tenants. But it is clear that Y, Z’. We’ll try it. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. That’s the initiatives will have more impact if tenants and residents work OK. We’ll learn from that. It means we get to do a few things first.” together. So far the response from the initial tenants – Tobin, HSBC and Lend Lease – has been most positive and such partnerships “It can be scary. You have to think through what you’re trying to could become a precedent for other businesses to transcend achieve. But we must push the envelope. Where can we be leading traditional competitor boundaries.
edge in a meaningful, strategic way? Leading edge is exciting and it’s what we should be about.”
The commercial tenants see engaging in something like this as an opportunity for cultural change. It makes them ask what they stand for in the community, what their place is, what positive impact they can have in the community.
For Alisa Hitchcock, the Community Development Manager, the biggest buzz has been reaching out to school students. From next year, Barangaroo South will be launched as a case study to support NSW students studying geography in years 7 to 12, with the potential of reaching up to 60,000 students a year. Using an online e-learning portal, they will examine the project in terms of its relevance to sustainability, urban growth, historical geography and urban dynamics.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 51
Sustainability of the built environment is a critical aspect of what the students will discover. They might be well acquainted with older technology such as solar panels but concepts such as the blackwater treatment plant and using harbour water to cool the towers are probably less familiar.
These sustainability targets are at world’s best practice levels The students will also learn about the changing use of the site over time – from its history as a gasworks, a hub of maritime trade, a port and now to a place that will receive around 18 million visits each year. Barangaroo South is also focussed on exciting students beyond their school years. By learning more about the project, they are being exposed to new ideas about the sorts of careers they could have – occupations and professions they might never have thought of. And the education of students starts early. In the past year, Barangaroo South has conducted an art competition, “See Your Artwork on the Biggest Site in Sydney,” in Sydney, open to every school student in Sydney. Winners were named in three age categories and all the artworks were exhibited on the site. The theme was “what does Barangaroo mean to you?” For some it was the parkland and recreational facilities; for others it was a place where they might one day work or live. Lend Lease is also exploring the possibility of a “minority procurement plan”, whereby some supplies and services will be obtained from companies that are owned and run by minority groups, such as Indigenous owned enterprises. Barangaroo South and the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy run a year-long program to take Indigenous students and talk to them about career opportunities in construction and property development – careers they might never have thought about before. The students may not end up working on the Barangaroo project but they’ll learn about some of the career opportunities that could be available to them.
52 Barangaroo South
BARANGAROO SOUTH WILL BE PART OF NSW SCHOOL SYLLABUS FOR GEOGRAPHY
REACHING
60 000 ,
STUDENTS A YEAR
Artist's impression only as at October 2014 subject to planning approval and change. SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 53
Mark Glavan
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONSULTANT, DESIGN, BUILDING
Stacey Johnson SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONSULTANT
Both Mark and Stacey are part of the Lend Lease design team. While they are pushing innovation, they need to make sure the Stacey is responsible for the project management of the sustainability technology works across the whole precinct and for the long term. in the commercial towers and for looking at some of the broader sustainability targets across the precinct. Mark’s role is concentrated A lot of this repeatable innovation lies in the work they are doing on a more technical level, including building performance modelling in the background to make sure that the project actually comes out and responsibility for the precinct renewable energy strategies.
of the ground and operates properly.
For these two, innovation, while important, is not the point. It is “It is really about pushing things beyond the traditional design about the lasting capacity of the new approaches.
response and focusing in on the discrete components that can become impactful when they interact at a system level,” says Mark.
“While innovation has been a big part of our project, we have been keen to make sure that it is repeatable,” says Stacey. “Barangaroo “The facades are a good example. The degree of multi parameter is not a test case and does not have an endless budget. It is a big optimisation and the amount of work required to achieve the right financial district – and it needs to work.“
balance – reducing heat load into the space and glare for the occupants, while at the same time maximising daylight availability
The design team has come up with strategies and technologies that are feasible and work on a large scale.
54 Barangaroo South
and views – and the amount of new analysis techniques that we have had to develop to quantify and simulate the performance in real life conditions have been really beyond the level we have ever gone to on a project before.”
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 55
NEW APPROACHES There were, however, massive challenges with software and industry tools and general analysis techniques that are typically used industry
TO OLD ISSUSES FOR GREEN STAR SUCCESS
wide. These failed to be analytically applicable when attempting the level of detail that Barangaroo required. So Lend Lease now uses an amalgamation of up to 13 industry tools to get the level of refinement necessary for accurate measures of the sustainability objectives.
This project has had a big impact on teamwork across the board. Because of the level of detail and design refinement that the
New approaches to old issues is a part of the thought process as Barangaroo South Design Team is asking for, the contractors are regards to the Green Star ratings as well. Lend Lease is still breaking becoming more aware of what products they are selling and the records in terms of the Green Star successes – but the way they sustainability attributes of them. are doing it is new as they need to recognise that this is about a precinct, not just a building. That requires working with the Green “When you are working towards this really high level of design Building Council of Australia to make sure that the tool works for refinement and performance it encourages an honest and open buildings such as these.
dialogue within the project design and delivery teams,” says Mark.
The carbon neutral aspirations of the precinct are amongst the most This is having a lasting effect on the way that Lend Lease works. exciting parts of the project because they are the most challenging. “What we have noticed with the carbon neutrality is that we don’t have a large amount of control over what our tenants do in operation. The constant challenge is that we want a sustainable precinct, but the buildings have to be functional and operational as premium grade buildings because that is what our tenants want and what they need,” says Stacey. “We can’t do anything that will impede the way they work. We need to integrate them into the long-term
“We are already seeing a lot of the design thinking developed at Barangaroo influence a number of our other projects, so we expect to see the project provide benefits for the wider industry well into the future,” says Mark.
carbon neutral journey.” The teamwork continues across to the tenant relationships as well.
“One of the biggest focuses for us is making sure the buildings really operate in the way that we designed them. In order to do that we are working with the supply chain and implementing commissioning strategies. “
56 Barangaroo South
“We have done so much work to be comfortable that what we have given them is the right building – and the right environment for them to achieve what they need to and get to the ambitious sustainability objectives that we have set,” says Stacey. “Definitely the long term legacy and importance of the project is recognised by everyone across the board. There is a huge focus on making this the best it can be.”
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 57
Catherine
Hunter HEAD OF CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP, KPMG
KPMG Australia will have 2,000 people working in Barangaroo South T3 and Catherine Hunter, its head of corporate citizenship, sees that as an opportunity for increased collaboration between KPMG, Lend Lease and other precinct partners to work on shared social sustainability initiatives. Although KPMG is not a high emitter of carbon, it is committed to reducing its energy use and, as a member of the United Nations Global Compact sustainability initiative, the professional services provider is ever conscious of its social and environmental responsibilities.
“The Barangaroo South precinct is aiming to be world class in environmental sustainability, which in turn presents an opportunity to lead on its social credentials also” she says. An example of that, is the approach KPMG Australia is taking to recognising and respecting the significance of Indigenous people at the Barangaroo site. While it is important to acknowledge and celebrate the cultural heritage of Indigenous people, KPMG Australia also wants to focus on tangible and practical outcomes for Indigenous Australians. “Barangaroo South is an opportunity to collaborate on a shared approach to reconciliation and to include the full participation and involvement of Indigenous Australians in how we develop economic and business opportunities.” “We have a unique opportunity to demonstrate best practice and to lead globally in how we collaborate with Indigenous Australia, business and government. We don’t need incentives to guide a new approach – we can show others the way through our own actions.”
58 Barangaroo South
Lawrence
Chan
SENIOR MANAGER WORKPLACE PLANNING AND DESIGN, MAJOR PROJECTS WESTPAC
Westpac sees the move to Barangaroo South as a way to further its sustainability agenda and to meet the increasing needs of staff for a more accessible workplace. Westpac staff who move to the new building will enjoy a high level of amenities.
A big part of that will help the bank to meet its healthy workforce objectives, with enough bicycle racks and showers to meet demand. Apart from the obvious benefits of working in a building and precinct that is highly rated in environmental sustainability, Lawrence Chan, an internal project manager at Westpac, says the new building and fit out will allow the Group to respond to what its staff wants.. As the liaison point between Lend Lease and business unit heads at Westpac, it’s his job to try to meet the sometimes-competing requirements of both. Westpac has been careful to balance sufficient future flexibility into the design of its offices at Barangaroo. Reconfigurable spaces to enable staff and client functions is one example of this. He would like the Barangaroo precinct to be self-sustaining so that staff do not have to travel great distances to reach work and needed amenities. He hopes it will not only be convenient but will provoke a ‘wow!’ response.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 59
Romilly
Madew
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, THE GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA
The Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA’s) relationship with the project has reinforced an enduring partnership with Lend Lease that spans more than a decade. The GBCA’s primary task at Barangaroo South is to assess all of the individual buildings against the Green Star rating system, and to certify the entire development with the Green Star – Communities rating tool. As Barangaroo South is registered to achieve one of the first Green Star – Communities ratings under the PILOT stage, the GBCA is working closely with Lend Lease to refine the rating tool’s benchmarks and to ensure the project can achieve its sustainability goals without onerous reporting requirements.
T2, the first building to achieve a Green Star rating on the project, racked up an unheard-of six Green Star ‘Innovation’ points for sustainable solutions such as a new framework for supply chain engagement and a district cooling plant that has never before been integrated into a mixed-use project in Australia. The project also gained points for exceeding Green Star benchmarks for eliminating the need to discharge potable water into the sewer, and for making a precinct-wide commitment to reduce the embodied carbon in the development by 20 per cent. “The work Lend Lease is doing with the supply chain is game-changing,” says the GBCA’s Chief Executive, Romilly Madew. “Taking suppliers on a sustainability journey will not just change the way they operate, but how the entire supply chain operates. Lend Lease’s framework will change what producers make, how they make it, who they sell to and how they market. The impact this will have on the industry cannot be overstated.”
60 Barangaroo South
Another impressive achievement was the T3 development’s recent 6-star Green Star rating in its first round submission – a rare feat. Typically, building projects require more than one round of assessment to achieve a Green Star rating. Lend Lease could rest on its laurels, but instead has chosen to proceed to Round 2 because it wants to secure more Green Star points and continue to push the envelope. Perhaps the most exciting contribution that Barangaroo South has made to the development of the green building movement is its commitment to the Green Star – Communities rating tool, which is shifting the industry’s thinking from a ‘building by building’ approach to delivering sustainability across entire precincts. “Green Star was originally conceived and created to assess individual buildings and the environmental impact of these buildings. In our enthusiasm for environmental sustainability, we forgot about one thing: that buildings are made for people,” says Romilly Madew. “The Green Star – Communities rating tool, and our ground-breaking work with projects such as Barangaroo South, has enabled us to move beyond buildings, and beyond environmental sustainability, to social and economic sustainability that delivers long-term benefits to people and communities,” Ms Madew says. Ms Madew applauds Lend Lease’s ‘broad view’ of sustainability, which is setting new benchmarks for urban renewal.
“Lend Lease’s legacy will be an extraordinary project that delivers environmental, social and economic dividends to generations of Sydneysiders. This is changing the way we think about urban renewal – and about how we leave a place better than it was when we found it. Lend Lease really is changing how we look at our cities.”
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 61
Barangaroo South sustainability update PROGRESS FY 13-14
Energy Shading structures integrated into design, contributing to providing ultra energy efficient buildings Lend Lease’s biggest LED project across the globe, installing more than 30,000 LED fixtures, replacing traditional T5 & halogen lamps Centralised infrastructure under construction in order to provide efficiencies of scale across buildings
Natural Environment Plans in place to ensure 50% of public space across all of Barangaroo Marine habitat enhancement being conducted with the assistance of Sydney Institute of Marine Science Native and endemic species selection in plans Community gardens incorporated into residential rooftops Green roofs and walls in plans
Water
Remediation underway for cleaning up brownfield site
On-site blackwater recycling system under construction
Fully compliant with Ambient Air Quality monitoring criteria
Rainwater capture integrated into tower design
Fully compliant with Water Treatment Plant discharge criteria
Harbour Water Heat Rejection system under construction, removing need for cooling towers Water sensitive urban design plans developed Stormwater treatment plans developed to best practice standards Total volume of water recovered and treated within the water treatment plant was 111ML in 2014 – equivalent to 44 Olympic swimming pools Fully compliant with ambient harbour water quality monitoring criteria
Waste 10,488 tonnes of construction waste recycled – representing 99% diversion from landfill, exceeding our 97% target Waste management plans being developed targeting 80 percent of operational waste diverted away from landfill by day 1, and targeting zero net waste to landfill by 2020
Emissions & Waste Plans in place to achieve goal of 20% less embodied carbon than standard construction practices Green Leases established to ensure sustainability is integrated into the operational phase of development New Ferry Terminals and Wynyard walk connection will offer green travel options to commuters Solar integrated on rooftops across the site, with plans on track to meet goal of providing enough energy to cover the demand of the public domain and recycled water treatment plan Community Carbon Fund plans built into legal agreements across site to ensure carbon neutrality over the 99 year leases
Resilience & Adaptation Increased height of ground planes as part of plans to comply with climate change adaptation Upgraded storm water infrastructure under construction Climate Change Adaptation Plan under development and to be completed in 2015
Bubblers integrated into public domain design in order to provide easily accessible drinking water supplies
Since our original plan was published, some of the icons and sustainability categories have been amended. This report maps our strategy to the current Lend Lease sustainability plan.
62 Barangaroo South
Community Development
Responsible Investment
Registered for the new green star communities rating tool, with submission targeted in 2015
Regular reports provided to Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) Stakeholder engagement plans implemented
Lend Lease Art Advisory Panel established to guide the delivery of public art as well as arts and cultural facilities across precinct
Annual sustainability reporting implemented World’s best practice review of benchmarks undertaken by ARUP
1,960 concerns raised by the community that were effectively managed and closed out Over 200 site tours conducted, with over 1,400 individuals being taken on a tour of the site Over 1,100 students attended educational presentations
Training, Skills & Employment 70 apprentices undertaking trade skills training on site at the Barangaroo Skills Exchange (BSX) 2,098 new accredited skills qualifications 7,660 training outcomes delivered at the BSX 18,174 learning outcomes = 36% of target 9,182 school students learning about the project through tours and design thinking programs = approx 30% of target 12 Next Generation Leaders participating in first round of leadership development program
Independent ratings and verifications achieved via Green Star rating system
Materials & Supply Chain Targeting a 20% reduction in the carbon intensity of the reinforcing steel for the project, representing a 4% contribution to the overall embodied carbon target Supply chain questionnaires on sustainability used to engage suppliers on our sustainability journey More than 95% of timber is AFS & FSC certified as part of Green Star requirements 77,600m3 of concrete has been used to construct the shared basement beneath the three commercial towers, representing 77% of the total 14,504 tonnes of reinforcement has been installed in the shared basement, representing 82% of the total Concrete batching plant on site saving more than 30,000 agitator truck movements and 5,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions
Diversity & Culture Indigenous Participation Plan developed, which included a pilot program providing business skills seminars for Indigenous SMEs 41 Indigenous people who have either been working, training or undertaking an apprenticeship at Barangaroo to date Celebrations were held to recognise the achievement of women of the Barangaroo Precinct as part of International Women’s Day Annual “Outstanding Female of the Year” awards were held in March to celebrate the women of Barangaroo
Health & Wellbeing Single pass chilled beam airconditioning currently being built Healthy building materials assessed as part of Green Star 24 hour air and water quality monitoring in place Safety leadership training as part of on site training Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) review undertaken of public domain plans
Innovation We are implementing and examining many innovative concepts. Look for this icon throughout the report to highlight areas of innovation in action.
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