Building for a sustainable future

Over a decade into realising the bold vision of the UTS City Campus Masterplan, sustainability continues to be front and centre as the campus expands.

In September 2019, UTS became the first Australian university to sign the Climate Energy Declaration, committing the university to mobilising more resources for action-oriented climate change research and skills creation, working towards carbon neutrality, and pledging to increase the delivery of sustainability education. 

UTS was also one of the first five Australian universities to sign up to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Take a walk through four of our most iconic buildings and find out how the UTS campus is expanding sustainably. 

UTS Central a.k.a. ‘The Spaceship’ 

With a 5-star green certification, this glass-encased beauty is form and function personified. 

Behind the glass façade lies a host of sustainability features, including responsibly sourced materials such as steel and timber; automated sun shields that control solar penetration to regulate light and internal temperatures; recycled water to flush toilets; furnishings that emit low levels of air pollutants; and rehomed trees on terraces and three green roofs, providing recreational space and habitat for urban biodiversity. 

But perhaps the most tangible sustainability achievement of UTS Central is the creation of the first plastic-free food court in Australia. The largest food court on campus has successfully eliminated all single-use plastics – including bags, coffee cups, straws, bottled drinks and packaging – in favour of reusable, fully compostable and recyclable products. As a result, the amount of waste sent to landfill is estimated to have been reduced by 19 tonnes per year.

UTS has since pledged to eliminate the most common single-use plastics from the campus, with plans to expand the plastic-free initiative to all on-campus retailers. 

Vicki Sara Building a.k.a. ‘The Wave Building’ 

The only 6-star green-certified building on campus, it officially opened in April 2015 and has been recognised with a number of design and architecture awards including the 2015 City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Architecture Prize, 2015 Green Globe Built Environment Sustainability Award, and Gold at the 2015 Sydney Design Awards. 

Key sustainability features include a lush green roof, part of which is dedicated to tree research; natural daylight provided through innovative architectural solutions; solar hot water technology; highly visible internal staircases to connect people, reduce lift energy use and promote health and wellbeing; high-performance glazing and cladding made from over 75% recycled glass; green concrete made from recycled materials; responsibly sourced timber and steel; and rain water capture, treatment and re-use to supply the building’s toilets and landscaping. 

Dr Chau Chak Wing Building a.k.a ‘The Crumpled Paper Bag’

Designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry and completed in February 2015, it is the only building the celebrated architect has completed in Australia and has become one of the most iconic UTS buildings. 

But contained within the unique crumpled brick facade lies a host of sustainable features that led to its 5-star green certification. These include high performance glazing; locally sourced bricks; energy efficient building services; optimised natural daylighting; rainwater capture, treatment and reuse; and flexible, adaptable space design for futureproofed use. 

Engineering and IT Building a.k.a. ‘The Cheese Grater’ 

Opened in 2014, the award-winning iconic steel-clad building has a 5-star green rating and is packed with sustainability features. 

The ‘binary screen’ encasing the building is not just a distinctive architectural feature but provides shading and glare control. This is in addition to solar, wind turbine and other renewable energy sources on the roof powering things like the UTS sky signs and electric car recharge points in the basement; high performance glazing; water efficient fixtures; rainwater capture, treatment and reuse; LED ‘gill’ lighting and more. 

Among several of its accolades are the 2014 AIRAH Awards: Denis Joseph Award for Innovative Use of Solar Energy in Heating, Ventilation, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration, and the NSW Government’s 2014 Green Globe Award for Built Environment Sustainability. 

As a university of technology committed to reducing our environmental impacts, as well as to social justice and real-world change, UTS is leading the way in setting – and often exceeding – new and ambitious sustainability benchmarks.