Buildings or developments that are verified and certified as “net zero operational energy and/or carbon.” The building should demonstrate the highest levels of energy efficiency with the use of either renewables generated onsite or renewable energy procured offsite.
Existing buildings or developments that demonstrate outstanding performance in improving the health, equity and/or resilience of people in local communities.
Floth is one of Australia’s leading building services and engineering consultancy practices. For more than 30 years we have worked on major projects in Australia and Asia earning a reputation for commercially viable and sustainable designs. Floth is also committed to rigorous environmental management of operations that are continuously improved in order to maintain our ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System that has been in place since 2010.
Floth’s head office building in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley received the first 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.1 certified rating in Australia in November 2015. Floth developed and occupy the office building and undertook the building services engineering and Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) in house. Also at that time the building was recognised as the first to meet the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council’s (ASBEC) standard definition of a zero carbon building by virtue of highly energy efficient design, 28% on-site renewable energy contribution from roof-mounted photovoltaic system and 100% Greenpower purchase to offset remaining operational emissions.
Indoor Air Quality: Low-VOC paints, sealers and floor coverings and low formaldehyde engineered wood products helped Floth achieve a NABERS score of 97% for air quality. Continuous monitoring sensors are located in all office and meeting zones so that good air quality, defined as below 800 parts per million (ppm), can be consistently delivered. Post-occupancy spot testing showed better than anticipated performance with CO2 at 625 ppm, zero formaldehyde readings, and very low readings for VOCs and particulate matter (PM10).
Thermal Comfort: For thermal comfort, the building design incorporates a high-performance envelope with low-e double glazing, thermally insulated assemblies and integral shading provided by articulation and balcony elements.
Lighting: An LED lighting system, with a power density of less than six watts per square metre, is automatically controlled with occupancy and daylight sensors.
Floth used the Building Occupants Survey System Australia (BOSSA), which is an occupant perception survey tool for Australian office buildings. Occupants were asked to rate their overall satisfaction on a seven point scale ranging from negative to positive. Occupant satisfaction and building performance in the old office were below the BOSSA benchmark in six out of nine areas, resulting in dissatisfaction among staff. Survey results in the new office shows that it has now exceeded the BOSSA benchmark in all areas, with particularly high scores on spatial comfort, indoor air quality and building image and maintenance. The percentage of employees satisfied with the overall performance, health and productivity of the new building is 94.5%.
The first 6 star National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) Indoor Environment rating awarded in May 2016 completes a hat trick of Australian firsts achieved by the building.
In addition to local and national awards, in October 2016 the building became the first Australian winner of a WorldGBC Asia Pacific Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance Award. Floth head office was also featured in WorldGBC publication – Doing Right by Planet and People – in April 2018.
Achieving NCOS Carbon Neutral certification in February 2019 was a natural progression of Floth’s sustainable policies and the building’s accomplishments to date.
Innovation was at the core of the project vision. Floth is consistently looking forward to what will be the new best practice standards and ratings. The company adopts sustainability policies themselves to show leadership but also actively encourages and advises clients how they can show leadership in the industry.
