Making a refreshing change with a sustainable refurbishment

‘The Goulburn Street office badly needed refurbishment. Fixtures were ageing, and many areas were dark and gloomy. Our out-of-date lighting system would waste energy and money, turning itself on when no one was working.

‘Our sustainable refurbishment produced some excellent environmental outcomes. A smart lighting system now ensures our lights go off at 6 pm, and only come on when someone turns them on – saving energy and money. Better positioning of lights in the lobby means we take advantage of reflective surfaces to create ambient light, improving everyone’s mood as they head to the office. Low VOC paint means no nasty chemicals in our air, and our new Interface carpet can be recycled when it reaches the end of its life.

‘We were able to reuse 150 chairs, and recycle another 350. Approximately 1.2 tonnes of cabinets and metal were recycled too.

‘As we were doing the project, the staff were asking questions – “What environmental impact will this have? What chemicals are in that?” We all worked together to improve sustainability and create a better working environment.’

Geoff Perrie, Accommodation Coordinator, Finance, Procurement, Performance and Services