SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

By Charissa Kavermann

When looking around my own community to find out about what it had to offer in the green design department, I didn’t think it would be the biggest building on the block.

Previously when I looked at large corporations and huge building designs I didn’t think ‘sustainable’, but after looking more into what the large Telstra Clear building down the road has to offer, I realise you can’t judge a book by its cover.

The TelstraClear Building is the corporate headquarters of national telecommunications carrier TelstraClear. It was designed by award-winning architects Warren and Mahoney to meet international best practice in terms of design, future-proofing and sustainability.  In 2005, it was officially recognised by the Ministry for the Environment as one of the most architecturally significant and distinctive landmarks in the Auckland.

The building is five-storeys and nearly 18,000sqm, making it one of the largest buildings in the North Shore, yet it is the most sustainable.  The glass building is shaped in a 120 degree ring. It looks like a third of a doughnut.  In keeping with the building philosophy, the TelstraClear Building has a flexible, future-proofed design. It is a large building that makes use of the latest sustainable building technologies. For example, there is micro-zoned heating and ventilation along with natural light sensors that turn off the lights on bright days.  Raised floors throughout the building mean that the space can be quickly reconfigured.  Outside normal business hours the toilets and floors are controlled by passive infrared sensors.  There are also high ceilings and glass windows to make the most of solar heating.

TelstraClear estimates it reduced electricity demands by 30% when it moved to the building.  After looking at the stats it is great to know that large corporations are thinking greener and making sure they have a triple bottom line philosophy.  Fortunately for our planet is likely that most buildings being built from this time on will have a green ethos and these new buildings are likely to have green design as part of the architecture.

Maybe other large corporations in New Zealand who dwell in older buildings can contribute to environmental factors better with sustainable renovation or by adding
and buying environmentally friendly products and energy-efficient appliances.  If implemented they can measure the energy savings and carbon footprint of their business and their building.  New Zealanders can look forward to a future of large corporations creating greener practices.

It would be great to find out about any green design happenings in your own community. Feel free to comment below on what’s been happening in your area
and what you think larger corporations can do to create a more sustainable working environment.

Tags: green business, green design