A new airport terminal has become the first in Australia to be achieve 5-star ratings for sustainability.

The Newcastle Airport Terminal Expansion Project has been awarded 5 Star ratings under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA’s) Green Star Buildings ‘As Built’ Certification.

Having opened last September following a two-year construction period, the new terminal is helping to transform the Hunter region into a global gateway.

It has more than doubled the airport’s annual capacity to more than 2.5 million passengers.

Through a purpose-built design, the project has also enabled the accommodation of long-haul, wide-body aircraft which are needed for international flights, such as routes to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

This now avoids the need for locals to travel to Sydney Airport and will help promote the region in terms of tourism and economic development.

(image: supplied)

From a sustainability viewpoint, features involve:

  • A massive rooftop solar array involving 1,235 solar panels which are placed on the canopy of a new premium covered car park. These provide for up to 20 percent of the airport’s overall energy requirements.
  • Several other features in the car park which enable use of sustainable transport options. These include EV charging bays and specialised pick-up zones.
  • Energy efficiency features such as passive design, efficient climate systems and smart internal layouts to minimise power consumption.
  • Water conservation through large underground rainwater tanks which are integrated into the design to reduce potable water reliance.

As mentioned above, the new terminal is Australia’s first airport terminal building to achieve 5 Star Green Star ‘As Built’ certification.

Green Star is Australia’s most commonly used system to rate the environmental and social sustainability of buildings, homes and communities throughout Australia.

To achieve Green Star ratings, projects need to be designed and constructed in a way that minimises environmental impact, improves occupant health and social wellbeing and supports climate resilience.

(Image: supplied)

Newcastle Airport CEO Linc Horton welcomed the achievement.

Horton said that sustainability was embedded in the project from the beginning.

He added that the airport has embraced sustainability across the whole of its broader operations.

This includes having achieving net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions six years ahead of target and having transitioned to 100 percent renewable electricity.

“We were undertaking a major capital expansion and that gave us permission to fundamentally rethink how we design assets, source energy, finance projects and plan for long-term operations,” Horton said.

“We see sustainability as integral to running a better airport for our region.”

(image: supplied)

GBCA CEO Davina Rooney congratulated the airport and its design and construction team on its achievement.

She said that the airport has demonstrated how major infrastructure can minimise environmental impact while creating lasting value for passengers, the community and the region.

The building was designed by Cox Architecture and was constructed by Construction Control.

Other consultants included Douglas and Partner (geotechnical and contamination); Purely Access (DDA); Ethos Urban (urban planning); Lindsay & Dynan (structural and civil engineering; Hatch (civil engineering); LCI Consultants (fire and building services engineering); JMT (traffic and transport engineering); Security Consulting Group (security consultants); and Philip Chun (building code consulting).

More than 500 people were directly employed in the project’s construction whilst the upgrade has been designed to support and unlock more than 4,400 ongoing jobs.

 

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