Sustainable buildings

UTS is committed to sustainability across our teaching and learning, our research and our campus operations

We’ve got a plan to phase out plastics, and that’s what we’re doing here in the food court. We’re working with our retailers to find innovative solutions for packaging without adding to the plastic problem

PappaRich is now getting involved in going 100% sustainable in terms of food packaging and how we run in terms of the operation. It is a great challenge but we are happy to embark on this journey to be joining the group in fighting waste, and reducing waste that is being diverted to landfill.

All the takeaway packaging is compostable. It’s made out of paper, bamboo, cardboard, even PLA which looks and feels a bit like plastic but is actually made out of corn which is 100% compostable.

The approach that UTS has taken in this food court has really allowed takeaway food to be still convenient, yet not have such a. big impact on our plastic waste.

I think that this is a big move for us a group to embark on this journey and I think it’s a worthwhile initiative that is being implemented and should be attempted by other food providers.

UTS is a university that I am really proud to be a part of and largely because of it’s sustainability initiatives. It’s really evident that they’re investing in it, rather than just following what everyone else is doing. They’re leading the way, and being a student here makes me feel like part of the future.

That’s what this food court’s about, it’s about linking what we do to our UTS 2027 strategy, to be a world leading university.  

DANIELLE MCCARTNEY (VOICEOVER): The UTS Science and Graduate School of Health Building has been awarded an impressive 6 Star Green Star Design rating certified by the Green Building Council of Australia.

Hi. I’m Danielle McCartney the Manager of Sustainability at UTS and I’d like to show you some of the sustainability features of one of our most innovative buildings.

The most striking feature is the curved façade, with the cladding made from more than 75% recycled glass. The cladding is also self-cleaning and its pale colour reflects heat.

The building’s step-down profile and roof form allows sun to access Alumni Green all year round, including in winter.

The challenge of bringing daylight into a building with subterranean labs has been met with innovative architectural solutions like portholes in the foot path, an oculus, light well and an interior blade wall to reflect light deep underground.

All windows are made of high performance glass and adjustable blinds reduce glare.

Lighting throughout the building is a combination of energy efficient LED and T5 fittings with daylight and motion sensors.

Building energy consumption is reduced through the use of a “thermal labyrinth”. This works by sucking fresh air into a chamber around the neighbouring Library Retrieval System, which then cools the basement plant room equipment, keeping operating temperatures constant and reducing running costs.

Highly visible internal stairs encourage people to take the stairs rather than the lifts, helping to reduce energy consumption.

Rainwater is collected from the building’s roofs, stored in a tank under the building and is used for toilet flushing and to irrigate the green roof.

This is a science building with superior indoor air quality. All paints, adhesives, joinery, flooring and furniture were selected for their low formaldehyde and Volatile Organic Compound content.

95% of all timber used in the building is either re-used, recycled or from an independently certified sustainable source.

This high tech super lab is one of the few in the southern hemisphere. It allows up to 220 students in 12 different classes to use the area at any one time, ensuring optimum space efficiency.

Digital screens in prominent locations display information about the building’s sustainability features and performance.

All electricity, gas and water meters in the building are connected to a campus-wide Energy Management System.

Every floor has water bottle filling stations and drinking fountains.

The green roof provides recreation space and also insulates the building, with the plants helping to absorb, filter and clean stormwater runoff.

Drought-resistant and native species help to reduce water use.

Solar panels on the Level 8 roof provide hot water for the building.

The UTS Science and Graduate School of Health houses world-class learning and research, all undertaken here in a 6 Star Green Star Building, representing world leadership in the sustainable design of tertiary education buildings.

Danielle McCartney, Manager of Sustainability

The Frank Gehry designed UTS Business School might be an unusual piece of architecture, but it’s also a high performance building.

Hi. I’m Danielle McCartney the Manager of Sustainability at UTS and I’d like to show you  some of the sustainability features of the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building.

Inside, amongst the most striking features are the open staircases, prominently located to encourage people to choose the stairs instead of the lifts, thereby reducing energy use.

Other energy saving features include efficient LED and T5 fluorescent lighting.

The double glazed curtain wall, with solar control coating, helps insulate against heat while at the same time flooding the interior spaces with natural light. Blinds allow staff to control glare.

The air conditioning system uses air-cooled chillers, rather than traditional cooling towers, slashing the building’s water use. Underfloor air-conditioning is energy efficient, supplying the air down low where the people are.

Rainwater is collected, treated and stored in a 20,000 litre roof top tank to provide water for toilet flusing and for irrigating the terrace planters.

Native and drought-tolerant plants help to reduce water consumption.

Sustainably sourced and certified timber is used extensively throughout the building’s interior, including hoop pine veneer, Victorian ash for the stairway, and two-tonne, glu-lam radiata pine beams from New Zealand.

The furniture is third-party eco-certified, being made from recycled materials or designed for dis-assembly and recycling at end of life.

The building houses innovative learning spaces like the oval classroom and collaborative theatres.

Every floor has a water bottle refill tap, and public spaces have drinking fountains.

Digital screens in prominent locations display information about the building’s sustainability features and performance.

 The building has been awarded a certified 5 Star Green Star design rating by the Green Building Council of Australia.

Every green building needs a Hungry Giant in the basement. The Hungry Giant polystyrene compactor crushes foam packaging in preparation for recycling. UTS recycles over 1 tonne of polystyrene each year.

The basement houses the cycling hub with parking for 160 bikes, along with end-of-trip shower, changeroom, and locker facilities.

Car parking has been restricted and most spaces are reserved for small and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Water-efficient fixtures reduce the building’s water demand.

Water from fire system and sprinkler tests is recycled and re-used.

Low emission carpets, paints, adhesives, sealants, and joinery have all been selected to improve indoor air quality.

While the striking façade and its 320,000 bricks, all manufactured locally here in NSW may get most of the attention, many of this building’s most impressive features actually lie beneath its skin.

Hi. I’m Danielle McCartney, the Manager of Sustainability at UTS and I’d like to show you some of the sustainability features in our Engineering and IT building.

One of the building’s most striking features is the natural lighting which floods through the skylight filtering down 10 floors through the crevasse atrium in the middle of the building.

Open plan offices and glass walls allow natural light to penetrate work areas. There is energy efficient lighting and daylight and motion sensors throughout.

Prominently located stairs link each level to encourage people to choose stairs instead of the lift, conserving energy. And spaces have been designed to facilitate informal interactions and knowledge sharing along the way.

Outside, the rooftop has renewable energy including solar thermal, photovoltaics and a wind mill. These feed an internal energy grid that powers some labs, electric car recharge points in the basement, and the UTS sky sign at night.

The striking binary screen façade provides shading in summer and helps reduce glare inside. The curtin wall behind consists of highly efficient insulated double glazing, which helps reduce heat transfer and the air-conditioning load.

Innovative under floor air-conditioning is energy efficient, supplying the cool air down low where the people are. The warm air rises, spills out into the atrium and is exhausted through vents at roof level. Air-con controllers with motion detectors and timers allow staff to optimise their thermal environment.

The building operates as a living lab. Around 2000 sensors and meters installed in the building enable researchers to access live data to study indoor air quality, building sustainability performance, and how the building ages and interacts with the environment outside.

This building was one of the first on campus to have separate bins for food waste recycling, and all kitchens have bottle refilling taps to encourage staff and students to choose tap water.

Rainwater and waste water from fire system testing is collected, treated and used to flush toilets and to water indoor gardens and trees.

The urinals have an interesting story to tell. In addition to being waterless, the building has urine diversion plumbing and a tank in the basement for capture and storage. This resource will be treated and turned into fertiliser to help address the world’s dwindling supply of phosphorous. It’s an Australian first, applying award winning UTS research to an operational application within one of our own buildings.

Even the furnishings have been chosen with sustainability in mind. Most are classified as “Environmentally Innovative”, have low VOC emissions and are designed for easy disassembly and recycling at end of life.

We’ve also developed a series of engaging digital screens linked to real-time data displaying sustainability information throughout the building. This one shows how much electricity is being generated by the renewable technology on the roof and how far one of the electric cars in the basement could then drive.

Talking of transport, the building’s basement contains hundreds of secure bike racks and state of the art end of trip facilities to encourage students and staff to ride to uni.

At UTS we take sustainability seriously, and our Engineering and IT building is leading the way, helping staff, students, and visitors make the world more sustainable.

END

PROFESSOR SARA WILKINSON (School of Built Environment):

I think my favourite thing about green roofs is the multiple benefits. It’s that they are going to improve the air quality, they are very attractive and add to the aesthetic appeal of buildings. Sometimes they have social amenities, a space for people to sit down and enjoy like the Alumni Green roof.

Another benefit is they are habitat for biodiversity - for bugs and insects which are vital to the pollination of plants. They also provide food for birds and other species to enjoy.

They also have a thermal performance. So they can make buildings more thermally efficient and reduce the energy consumption for cooling and heating, so green-house gas emissions go down as well.

With predictions of climate change, some species will be unable to live where they currently live. They will need to migrate to other parts of the state or country to find conditions that are more amenable to their ongoing existence. Having green roofs gives them stepping stones across the city - across the built environment that is non-green, in order to get to those spaces.

Now we can sit outside and enjoy some fresh air in a nice environment, because we have these green roofs.

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