Awards recognise star sustainable projects

Awards recognise star sustainable projectsThe NSW Government Environment and Heritage Department Awards has announced the winners of the 2014 Green Globe Awards, which celebrate leadership and innovation in sustainability across NSW.Twenty-five winners were honoured at a gala ceremony held on 30 October at NSW Parliament House, among them several members of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).Grocon and fjmt Architects won the Built Environment Sustainability – Commercial and Residential Properties award for Legion House at Liberty Place, (pictured) beating out the University of Technology Sydney’s Engineering and IT building and ‘North Sydney eco house’ for the prize.Certified with a 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v3 rating, Legion House consists of 57,000 sqm of premium grade office space and a 3000 sqm retail complex.The building receives little sun or wind, so it generates energy by converting plant-sourced material into a combustible gas that can be used to generate electricity in a process called biomass gasification. Its ability to generate onsite renewable energy means it’s the first Australian CBD office building capable of being disconnected from the electricity grid.Mirvac also won a 10-year Sustainability Award for its ongoing commitment to the environment.”We congratulate all entrants, finalists and winners of the 2014 Green Globe Awards, which recognise environmental excellence, leadership and innovation in NSW,” said GBCA COO and Green Globe judge Robin Mellon.”We also congratulate the Observatory Port Macquarie for taking out the Premier’s Sustainability Award for a range of resource saving initiatives and environmental engagement with hotel guests,” he said.For the full list of award winners visit: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/greenglobes/