Commercial Clare Burnett Fri 13 Nov 26
Creating energy from the 48-storey highrise’s façade is all part of the Cbus bid to build a net-zero carbon asset...
Melbourne’s newest premium office tower is turning its exterior into a power station, with 1391 solar panels across its facade, crown and rooftop.
Cbus Property has now finished the installation of what is one of the world’s first solar skin facades, at 435 Bourke Street.
The panels will generate up to 20 per cent of the building’s electricity on site. Combined with off-site renewable energy supply, the all-electric tower is designed to operate at net zero carbon.
Designed by Bates Smart, the 48-level tower will deliver 62,000sq m of premium office space and 1300sq m of retail. It is due to complete later this year after a more-than-three-year build. Work started on the Bourke Street tower in 2023.
The photovoltaic system totals 2679sq m and has a peak capacity of 375kW.
Across the globe, other office projects have taken on partial solar panelling, including Norway’s Powerhouse Brattørkaia, EnergyBase in Austria and the Solar Info Centre in Germany. The latter is one of the earliest projects to include solar facades and was built in the early 2000s.
Engineering consultancy BG&E Engineers supported the complex construction of the solar skin. Builder Multiplex has also taken a sustainable approach, using low-carbon construction materials and cranes powered by renewable biofuels.
The tower will also include 1300sq m of retail and a three-level sky garden, creating a “vertical village” for 5500 workers.
The Commonwealth Bank, UniSuper and Baker McKenzie have committed to leases on the building, while hospitality entrepreneur Chris Lucas will bring two new all-electric restaurants to the building.
Cbus Property chief executive Chris Kakoufas said finishing the solar skin was a “defining moment” for sustainable commercial development in Australia.
“[It] reduces operational costs for our tenant partners and emissions from grid electricity consumption, while creating a distinctive visual identity for the tower,” he said.
Multiplex regional managing director for Victoria and South Australia, Ross Snowball said installing the solar skin had been “one of the most challenging aspects” of the project, requiring coordination between the facade, structural and services teams.
As the flight to quality in well-located and landmark offices continues , developers have found aspects to set their projects apart.
Plans for a “self-powered” office tower are forging ahead at Cremorne. Organic food waste from surrounding restaurant businesses would be fed into an on-site anaerobic digester to provide power.
Also at Cremorne, what would be Australia’s tallest timber commercial building, a 15-storey mass-timber project, has been approved.
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