The Project received a 6 Leaf EnviroDevelopment certification, providing recognition of how sustainability has been incorporated into planning, design, construction, and operations.
A summary of the key sustainability initiatives has been provided below:
- Decarbonisation: Each warehouse, including the land development works, is required to achieve a
>20% reduction in upfront carbon, with residual upfront carbon offset through projects that either
avoid emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere. No gas will be connected to the estate, with
each warehouse powered by rooftop solar, batteries (where viable), and a renewable electricity
procurement agreement from the grid. Hesperia will publish a Net Zero Report for each site to
document outcomes.
- Urban greening: Each warehouse site will comprise of significant native waterwise plantings creating tree canopy, amenity, and ecological value. Biofiltration swales will be used to increase landscaping and naturally filter stormwater runoff before it enters surrounding waterways.
- Optimal use of resources: A minimum 90% recycling rate is targeted for waste streams during construction. Each warehouse will be subject to achieving a 20% reduction in energy use and 45% reduction in water use during operations, supported by the installation of a minimum 5-kilolitre rainwater tank for water at each warehouse.
The Project has undertaken an innovative approach to delivering renewable energy to each warehouse. Some of the sites will include several warehouses with distinct tenants, within the same parcel of land. Power will be supplied to each warehouse via an Embedded Metering Network. This will comprise of a single master meter in which solar generation, electricity from the grid, and battery storage will be managed at the site level and distributed to each warehouse. This is a more effective approach to solar and batteries than distributing smaller systems across multiple buildings due to the relatively low power demands in industrial buildings. Overall, this will facilitate the large-scale roll out of all-electric warehouses, predominantly powered by on-site renewable energy.
EnviroDevelopment certification was important for the Project as it provided a unifying framework to communicate sustainability objectives to key stakeholders, and the technical requirements to multiple builders on different sites for a consistent outcome. In addition, the framework requires implementation of sustainability initiatives across a wide variety of areas (e.g., Energy, Water), which ensures the Project is taking a holistic approach to incorporating sustainability.
For more information, visit https://www.hesperia.com.au/places/hazelmere-interchange/.
