Specialist building services and engineering consultancy practice Floth Sustainable Building Consultants has achieved key recognitions from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) for its new head office in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.
Floth’s new Brisbane office has received the GBCA’s Green Star Design & As Built v1.1 certified rating and the ASBEC’s zero carbon building standard, both representing world-leading commitments to creating environment-friendly built environments, and placing the company at the pinnacle of sustainable design consultancy in Australia.
Floth’s 1,000sqm, three-storey office building scored 83.3 points in round one to achieve a 6 star Green Star Design & As Built v1.1 certified rating, the highest awarded by GBCA and representative of the engineering firm’s world leadership in sustainable design and construction.
Floth Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) Principal Anthony Marklund attributed Floth’s high score and 6 Star rating to a number of sustainable features integrated into the build. For instance, façade and building services improvements are expected to effect a 53 per cent reduction in operational carbon emissions; a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system will achieve a further 13 per cent reduction; 100 percent accredited GreenPower has been purchased from Origin, ensuring the building’s zero carbon requirements are met; and electricity generated by the solar photovoltaic system will more than offset the additional operational costs of the GreenPower.
ASBEC Executive Officer Suzanne Toumbourou said the project had been designed to comply with the zero carbon building standard definitions set by Australia’s key peak body committed to sustainable built environments. According to Toumbourou, this is the first project that has formally and publicly adopted this standard.
GBCA Chief Executive Officer Romilly Madew said Floth has been a member of the GBCA for a decade, working on a remarkable 41 Green Star projects. Congratulating the Floth team for its green leadership, she added that achieving the first 6 Star Green Star – Design & As Built v1.1 rating in Australia paves the way for the rest of the industry.
Floth has now set its sights on US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Previous GBCA certification firsts from Floth include the first 6 star Green Star Office v2 As Built rated building in Queensland for Green Square North Tower and the first 6 star Green Star Office v3 Design rated building in Queensland for 180 Brisbane.
