First Green Star – Communities rating elevates Brisbane Airport’s sustainability to new heights

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has awarded Australia’s first Green Star – Communities rating to Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) for the entire Brisbane Airport site.

The Brisbane Airport site, comprising 2700 hectares of land which will eventually house more than 50 commercial office, mixed use, retail and industrial buildings, has achieved a 4 Star Green Star – Communities rating under the PILOT version of the rating tool.

Green Star – Communities is one of the world’s first independent, transparent, national schemes designed to assess and certify the sustainability of large-scale master planned development projects.

“We applaud Brisbane Airport Corporation’s landmark achievement, with a 4 Star Green Star rating representing ‘best practice’ for a master-planned development in Australia,” says the GBCA’s Chief Executive Officer, Romilly Madew.

“This Green Star – Communities rating provides BAC with independent verification and global recognition for its vision and commitment to sustainable development.

“This is an enormous achievement not just for BAC, but for the people of Brisbane, who now have independent proof that the airport precinct is being planned and designed to deliver environmental, economic and social sustainability,” Ms Madew adds.

Julieanne Alroe, BAC Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, says: “I am extremely proud of the dedicated team at Brisbane Airport who have worked hard to achieve the first Green Star – Communities rating.

“This achievement gives us reassurance that we’re on the right track and further encourages us to do even more for sustainability so that Brisbane Airport is regarded as a world leader in this space,” Ms Alroe says.

Brisbane Airport’s entire site has been assessed against benchmarks for liveability, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, design excellence, governance and innovation.

The project team was rewarded for developing policies that address corporate social responsibility and provide public sustainability reporting on environmental, social and economic impacts.

BAC has implemented a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy for the precinct, together with a plan for facilities, programs and events that promote cohesion and interaction between the people who use the precinct.

A Green Star – Communities rating involves ongoing certification, with a ‘check back’ required within three years to verify that the project is delivering the desired outcomes, and recertification required within a five year time frame.

“With a Green Star – Communities rating, Brisbane Airport has set new sustainability benchmarks for airports around the world,” Ms Madew concludes.