A recently opened health hub in Central Australia has become the highest-rated Green Star building in the Northern Territory after receiving a 6-Star Green Star Design and As Built certification.
Awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress' new Mparntwe Health Hub — which only opened this year — becomes the first building in Central Australia to achieve both Design and As Built certifications.
The rating considers energy and water efficiency, building materials, construction waste, transport, climate resilience and the health and comfort of people using the building.
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"Our job is to improve the health of Aboriginal people in Central Australia, and we recognise that the environment people live in is fundamental to health," said Congress Chief Executive Ebony Abbott-McCormack.
"The healthcare industry is resource intensive, so when we had the opportunity to build the Health Hub, we wanted to make sure we were doing everything we reasonably could to reduce its environmental impact and better care for country."
Sustainability measures at the Health Hub — designed by Susan Dugdale and Associates and constructed by AS Build — include increased natural light and fresh air, improved acoustics and temperature control, low-toxicity materials, recycled and recyclable products and reduced construction waste.
Located centrally in Mparntwe / Alice Springs, it also encourages walking and cycling to reduce unnecessary travel.
Ms Dugdale said it was rewarding to work on a project where "sustainability was treated as a core part of the project from the beginning".
"Congress set the bar high, not just on environmental performance, but also for the health and wellbeing of the people who use the building," she said. "The 6-Star rating reflects that ambition and shows the kind of result you get when an organisation is truly invested to its community and place."
Whilst the project initially targeted a 5-Star rating, Ms Abbott-McCormack said achieving the 6-Star design — the highest level — is a "fantastic result," as is "continuing the process to As Built certification".
"It shows we didn't just design a sustainable building — we actually delivered it," she said.
"It also shows that being remote doesn't mean lowering the bar. World-leading sustainable buildings can be delivered right here in Central Australia."
Congress' broader sustainability strategy isn't just confined to the Health Hub. Solar has been installed across eight Congress buildings, with a ninth installation planned, while the organisation has reduced its vehicle fleet by 16 vehicles and introduced 15 electric vehicles.
As a result, more than 9,000 litres of fuel are saved each year, Congress argues. These sustainability measures deliver ongoing cost savings which are being redirected towards improving the health of Aboriginal people in Central Australia — the core mission of Congress.
