WITH his company expanding rapidly and his staff split between two locations, Scott Gibson said the decision to build a unique and energy-efficient headquarters for his building supply company was an essential step.
The Kingspan Insulation managing director adopted a different approach to the new building after noticing the negative effects the old buildings were having on his staff.
"The brief given to the consulting architect was to design an affordable five-star building, which would showcase our products but also show to all and sundry that you can build an energy-efficient building to a budget,” Mr Gibson said.
"The building isn't a great deal more expensive than the other buildings around us but it's very different and much more comfortable.” Environa principal architect Tone Wheeler, the consulting architect for the project, said the long rectangular office was designed specifically for comfort.
"It is 'reverse built', which means the concrete structure of it, including the concrete floor, is insulated from the outside,” Mr Wheeler said.
"We've built a kind of highly insulated esky up on sticks to try to give staff the best possible chance of gaining natural daylight, as well as the highest levels of thermal comfort to keep it cool in summer with a minimal amount of air-conditioning.
"There are four things we were trying to achieve: substantial natural light, great natural heating and cooling, removal from the noise and busy interruptions of the ground level and, fourthly, and most importantly, a sense of space.” Mr Gibson said that while the cost-savings associated with increased energy efficiency, solar PV panels, LED lighting and water recycling made the project financially attractive, data surrounding the positive impact on staff from green buildings was where he saw the greatest benefits.
"Green buildings provide healthier working environments and significant reductions in absenteeism,” he said. "Where previously it was relatively undocumented, it's now understood that greener buildings produce more productive working environments.”
Data from research firm BCI Construction reveals that increased staff productivity and reductions in risk and liability are the most popular reasons for undertaking a green build.
Green buildings are becoming increasingly attractive for developers, with commercial buildings accounting for the largest proportion of all sustainable building projects in 2010.
The Green Building Council of Australia, the body responsible for giving Green Star ratings to buildings, reports that since its inception in 2003, there have been more than 500 building projects in Australia that have been Green Star-certified.
While Kingspan's headquarters was still being assessed for its Green Star rating, Mr Gibson said the high levels of energy efficiency meant that he expected to see a payback on the additional design elements in under five years.
