The MGT visited 30 The Bond Office building in Sydney Australia, which is the first office building in Australia to receive a 5 star energy rating in sustainability (http://inhabitat.com/30-the-bond-sydneys-greenest-building/). The building’s major sustainable features are:
1. Natural ventilation use
2. Passive chilled beam cooling system allowing 100% fresh air
3. Operable shading on the building
4. Roof top garden with native plants which require little or no maintenance (although not in use due to agreement with neighbors)
5. Open lobby area cooled and heated by a natural stone wall
6. Glass elevators with open stairs inside and easily assessable
7. An open office environment similar to cubicles
8. Glassed open conference rooms
9. Staircase made from steel treated outdoors to rust and then sealed
In addition to being environmentally sound, the building is beautiful and creates a very pleasant office environment. This was one of my favorite sites based on the uniqueness of the building and it appeal to a productive work environment. The design manager, Matt Williams did state that the one drawback to the building’s design is the fact that the design misjudged the amount of sun that the atrium would get, thereby causing the atrium to be too hot during the summer months.
Although I love the design of the building, I believe that a major disadvantage of the building would be the constant distractions of meetings and work due to the open design.
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