The PS 1 Commercial Headquarters, located in the Greater Springfield Urban Development 30 minutes south of Brisbane, is a commercial building for occupation by General Electric. Designed by Conrad Gargett architects, the six level building contains over 12,500m² of NLA arcing around a courtyard which faces the adjacent parkland.  Developed as a Green Star project, the building delivers an integrated workplace with contemporary interiors.

The building has a 5-Star Green Star As Built rating and a 4.5 star NABERS rating. Sustainable design principals guided the design of the development and resulted in reduced maintenance and operational costs. The main design improvement strategies include:

• Implementation of energy efficient design principles including high performance glazing and insulation, incorporation of optimal shading configurations and use of low energy building services.
• Use of low VOC paints, adhesives, sealants and flooring products to promote high levels of indoor environment quality
• Use of sustainably-sourced timber and steel, and concrete with a high proportion of recycled water and aggregates
• Implementation of a tailored waste management plan throughout duration of works, with a recycling waste storage system and high proportion of recycled materials
• Design for optimal occupant comfort with provision of views, daylighting, high levels of ventilation and end-of-trip facilities
• Use of life cycle assessment techniques to quantify the overall sustainability of the project and it’s materials

The eToolLCD software was used to complete the Life Cycle modelling of the building to complete the EN15978 compliant reporting required by the Green Star Life Cycle impact credit. Following training from eTool, Umow Lai conducted a whole of building Life Cycle Assessment on the building compared to a ‘Business as Usual (BAU)’ reference case and presented the findings of 10 environmental impact categories.

“The use of eTool life cycle assessment for the PS1 project provided us with much-needed insight into the environmental and economic profiles of the materials we used, when considered in the context of the entire project lifespan. The software was invaluable in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of our design, and provided us with significant Green Star points through the materials credits”. – Adriaan Window, ESD Consultant

• Developer: Springfield Land Corporation
• Head Contractor: KANE
• ESD/Sustainability: Umow Lai
• Building Services: Umow Lai
• Architect: Conrad Gargett
• Anchor Tenant: GE Money