World’s Most Sustainable Shopping Centre in Melbourne

The Burwood Brickworks in Melbourne has officially been labelled the world’s most sustainable shopping centre. Developed by the Frasers Property in Australia, the building commenced construction in 2018. From the outset, Frasers Property was aiming for Burwood Brickworks to achieve the Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal Certification. If it did, it would be the first retail centre to do so.

The Living Building Challenge

The International Living Future Institute is a global network dedicated to a sustainable and healthy future. It created the LBC, which is organised into seven performance areas called “petals”. Currently, the LBC is the most advanced measure of sustainability for architecture.

The LBC petals are:

• Place
• Water
• Energy
• Health & Happiness
• Materials
• Equity
• Beauty

Four of the petals can be certified upon completion of the construction of the building: place, health & happiness, materials, and beauty. The remaining three petals (water, energy, and equity) can only be certified after the building has been in use for 12 consecutive months.

Burwood Brickworks’ LBC Petal Certification

In April 2021, it was announced that Burwood Brickworks had achieved LCB Petal Certification. This was for the four petals that are possible to be received upon completion of construction. This marks Burwood Brickworks as the first retail centre to achieve this.

The remaining three petals will only be able to be certified after Burwood Brickworks has been operating for 12 consecutive months of typical operation. This has been made more difficult by COVID-19, but as of now, Frasers Property is aiming for the remaining petals in late 2022.

With how it’s currently operating, it’s looking like they’ll be able to achieve those final petals. For energy, Burwood Brickworks has a total of 3,260 solar panels on its roof for a total capacity of 1 MW. With that and other off-site renewables, it’s able to meet all its energy demands from renewable sources. For water, the building has rainwater funnelled into a 500,000-litre tank, which is then treated on-site and used all throughout the building.

Take Steps Toward Sustainability

Frasers Property has taken a big step towards a sustainable future with its new shopping centre design, and you can as well! Whether you’re a homeowner or a business operating in Victoria, you can convert to solar energy, both saving the planet and reducing your energy costs! Solar installation companies such as Solar Miner are always ready to help communities aim for sustainability. Contact us today to learn more about how you can get your own solar panels in Melbourne or anywhere in Victoria!