Helping an Old Deco Dame Go Green - Inside and Out
Helping an Old Deco Dame Go Green - Inside and Out
1920s Melbourne city building gets a green makeover |
| 15 Sep 2010 |
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| An iconic Melbourne art deco building has just won a grant to transform their 90 year old heating and cooling systems to 21st century energy efficient standards. Working with AE Smith’s Emerald Sustainable Performance (ESP), the owners of the iconic 131 Queen Street building have been awarded a $500,000 grant via the “Green Building Fund” – a government initiative to improve energy ratings and efficiencies of older buildings. Built in a time when a building’s design was not focused on saving energy, reducing carbon emissions or achieving Green Star Ratings, the building’s HVAC systems are set to receive a complete overhaul. As part of applying for the Green Buildings Grant, AE Smith’s ESP completed NABERS assessments of the property as well as looked at ways to replace the inefficient old systems. “131 Queen Street will be going from a zero NABERS Rating to a 3½ Star Rating with this retrofit project,” says Doug Binns, General Manager of AE Smith’s ESP business unit – established by AE Smith to help customers find ways to turn their commitment to being efficient with energy and water management of their property assets into reality. Now collaborating with Lincoln Scott Engineers, AE Smith ESP are facing some challenges designing and reinstalling systems for a property built in the 1920s. “These older buildings can throw up a few challenges – but we’re mindful of keeping costs down as much as possible while achieving the environmental outcomes,” adds Doug. In addition to the Green Building Grant to ensure HVAC systems are far more environmentally friendly, the 131 Queen Street icon has recently won another Green award through the City of Melbourne. In a unique program designed to beautify Melbourne’s city building rooftops that are dominated by air conditioning units, “Green The Rooftops” brings together landscape designers and CBD buildings to add vibrant, useful and green spaces to the city skyline. 131’s rooftop is now a living sanctuary, with landscaping, tiered gardens, BBQ facilities and various sculptural screens – giving the building an external green makeover. “It’s great to work with building owners such as these who really embrace preserving the heritage of their property with green initiatives,” adds Doug. |
