Woodhead’s recently completed Jacana House Commercial Development in Darwin has been registered for a Green Star rating through the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). The Green Star Rating certification process has been developed by the GBCA in an attempt to drive the transition of the Australian property industry towards sustainability by promoting green building programs, technologies, design practices and operations as well as the integration of green building initiatives into mainstream design, construction and operation of buildings.
Once confirmed, this will make Woodhead the first architectural firm in the Northern Territory to achieve Green Star certification.
In addition to the above, Jacana House has also been registered and will be assessed at the end of construction for a NABERS Energy for Office rating. The NABERS rating tool is a NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change initiative, which measures the environmental performance of a building. NABERS is a voluntary environmental rating system for office premises based on actual data related to the performance of a premises over a 12 month period.
Jacana House is a nine storey commercial office building, approximately 10,000sqm NLA, with 1500sqm large floor plates. Two retail spaces and a generous entry lobby are located at ground level and ensure a 100% active street frontage, complemented with a wide pedestrian path and landscaping.
The sub-floor levels include basement car parking and service areas, and additional tenant facilities including motorcycle spaces, secure bicycle storage, and shower and locker facilities Registered for 5 Star Green Star Office Design, the building’s design and operation reflect a range of best practice objectives and features specific to its tropical location. ESD features include;
- Fully shaded, fixed louver blade sunscreen system to glazed curtain wall system
- Clear, energy efficient double glazing to maximise light illumination and connectivity to surrounds
- Green roof and accessible green roof terrace spaces
- Accessible, open-air terraces to 50% of building levels
- 260sqm vertical garden to building light-well
- Natural day lighting and glare minimisation to all tenancies
- Low energy lighting throughout with sensors to minimise lighting throughout the day and night
- Low VOC and formaldehyde free paints, timber veneers and flooring
- Low maintenance building materials and finishes
- 1 million cubic litre on-site water storage facility
- Grey water use throughout
- Energy efficient air conditioning systems using a chilled water storage system to minimize operational costs
- Building fully air-sealed
- External access to all glazing areas for cleaning and maintenance
- Completed in September 2009, the building is fully tenanted to a variety of blue chip and government tenants.
