Going Green

Over the past 18 months, Mainbrace has seen a sharp increase in Green Star construction projects. This rise in sustainable construction has been both exciting and challenging, pushing us to expand our knowledge, expertise and the level of support we offer. We’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way, reinforcing the importance of starting the sustainability journey well before construction begins.

A few of our recent successes include the Woolworths North Parramatta project in NSW and the Woolworths Mountview project in QLD, both of which achieved a 4 Star Green Star accreditation, which the Green Building council advise represents best practice in sustainable construction.

There are many factors that deliver the rating. A couple of examples include, at Mountview, we collaborated closely with our subcontractors to ensure airtight construction, significantly reducing air-conditioned air loss and lowering the building’s long-term energy consumption. Meanwhile, at North Parramatta, we partnered with Concrite to use lower carbon concrete, while the adaptive reuse of the original structure played a key role in lowering ‘new’ embodied carbon.

Leading our sustainability focus is Crystal Anson, our Sustainability Advisor. Crystal provides oversight, guidance, and training to our teams, ensuring that every project delivers as required.  One of the biggest lessons this increase in Green Star projects has taught Crystal, is how critical it is to start the process as early as possible. She says, “The journey for successful accreditation needs to start well before construction. We’ve had clients with targets that simply could not be met because they didn’t realise the importance of some of the very early decisions.”

If you’re considering a sustainable project but aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help. Just reach out, and we’ll work with you to make informed decisions that align with your sustainability goals.

Let’s continue to build a greener future together.