The National Centre for Synchrotron Science (NCSS) has been awarded a five-star Green Star – Education Design v1 certificate rating by The Green Building Council of Australian. This certification represents Australian Excellence in environmentally sustainable building practices.

The Green Star rating is an exhaustive process covering every aspect of the building, including concrete design, internal noise levels, and water and energy efficiency. The NCSS is one of only 12 buildings in Victoria to have achieved this rating.

NCSS features include a design that is projected to halve greenhouse gas production. Stormwater is captured for irrigation and toilet flushing, and electricity for the facade lighting is generated from solar panels on the roof. The building has very efficient heating and ventilation systems and all carpets, floor finishes and paint are low in VOC (volatile organic compounds). The building’s embodied energy was reduced by using flyash – an industrial waste product – to replace 15 to 30 percent of the Portland cement used in construction.

AS chief operating officer George Borg said the Green Star rating was “the result of a two year effort by our Major Projects team”. He noted “the excellent work of Richard Feltscheer and Alexis Kouts, who were responsible for managing this process”.

In other environmental news, the simple measure of reducing power to the low-conductivity water (LCW) pump system during the Easter shutdown enabled the AS to produce 11 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide – equivalent to the energy required to power two homes for a year. This was achieved without adversely affecting the reliability of the facility. LCW temperature control , oxygen content and filtering remained in operation throughout this period.

Click here to read more about construction of the NCSS and other new buildings on the synchrotron site.

Click here to read more about the NCSS and its green credentials.