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Brisbane City Council has secured an Australian first, following the environmental rating of its three newest CityCat ferry terminals.

Receiving the highest possible certification under the EnviroDevelopment system, the Hawthorne, Teneriffe and Bretts Wharf terminals have officially become the first in Australia to earn official recognition through a sustainability rating tool.

The three new terminals have been recognised for their outstanding achievements in six key areas of ecological sustainability: ecosystems, waste, energy, materials, water and community.

National EnviroDevelopment Manager Kirsty Chessher said Brisbane City Council had displayed an impressive commitment to best practice environmentally sustainable design, which involved all members of the project team, the EnviroDevelopment team and Brisbane City Council from the outset.

“The CityCats are a Brisbane icon, so it is fantastic to see this project embrace sustainability in such a visible way,” Ms Chessher said. “It sends a really positive message.”

“To qualify for EnviroDevelopment certification, Brisbane City Council and its project team have worked very hard to raise the sustainability standards of these terminals.

“The new terminal designs are ‘greener’ and more cost effective than their predecessors and provide a new benchmark for this type infrastructure not only in Brisbane but Australia-wide.

“Some of the key features include recycled materials, rainwater tanks, lower energy LED lighting and the inclusion of grid interactive solar arrays.

Significant efforts have been made to specify materials to consider not only durability aspects but also the delivery of sustainability benefits.  A number of the materials selected contain recycled content and there is also an emphasis on designing for deconstruction and materials reuse.

“Specifying environmentally responsible materials can be a challenging task for any project, and in particular durability of the terminal structures was a key design priority in order to maximise service life,” Ms Chessher said.

“To qualify for the materials element, Council explored a range of innovative ideas, including creating terminal seating from 100 per cent recycled plastic from milk bottles.

“The designs also incorporate safety, diversity, accessibility, heritage and sustainability considerations.

“In addition, comprehensive site waste management plans have been implemented to facilitate the reduction, recycling and reuse of materials prior to and during construction.”

Tags: green design