Australian Offices are Among the World’s Greenest

Demand for environmentally responsible building has experienced significant growth over the past decade, with metropolitan office markets increasingly adopting “green” building certification programs.

According to the International Green Building Adoption Index 18.6 per cent of space in 10 markets across Australia, Canada and Europe have been certified “green” since 2007 – when the number was just 6.4 per cent.

During the same time, green office square footage in Sydney and Melbourne alone increased from less than one per cent in each city to more than 46 per cent in Sydney and 28.8 per cent in Melbourne.

Sydney and Melbourne ranked third and fourth on the index behind Vancouver and Toronto.

The Canadian cities set the pace, with 51.6 per cent of space in Vancouver and 51 per cent of space in Toronto achieving “green” certifications.

Green walls at Barangaroo, the “greenest” office complex in the country.

The study showed increased demand for more environmentally responsible buildings from governments, corporate tenants and institutional investors has been particularly evident in cities where green properties made up virtually no part of the office market just a few years ago.

Buildings that qualify for green certifications are those that incorporate sustainable waste management and resource usage initiatives, natural light and environmentally sustainable building materials.

Across the world,  the report also found that Frankfurt reported 17.5 per cent green product, up from 1.4 per cent in 2009; Stockholm reported 12.6 per cent, up from 1.2 per cent in 2011; and Amsterdam reported 11 per cent, up from 0.1 per cent in 2011.