Curtin University has been awarded Australia’s first 5 Star Green Star – Communities rating by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
Western Australia’s largest university received the rating for its Master Plan, which will see its Bentley Campus developed into a ‘city of innovation’.
Green Star – Communities is one of the world’s first independent, transparent, national schemes designed to assess and certify the sustainability of large-scale master planned development projects.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said the rating was an important endorsement of the University’s vision to transform its Bentley Campus through urban renewal and sustainable design.
“As a university we are continually striving to be leaders in research and education and the 5 Star Green Star – Communities rating validates our ambitions to develop a vibrant urban centre, while achieving our vision to change the world through innovation and excellence,” Professor Terry said.
“To be the first project in Australia to receive the rating is a significant achievement.”
GBCA Chief Executive Officer Romilly Madew said the Curtin University Master Plan was assessed against best practice benchmarks for governance and innovation, design excellence, environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and liveability.
“A 5 Star Green Star rating signifies ‘Australian Excellence’, and sets new sustainability benchmarks for Australia’s universities, and provides Curtin University with independent proof that its vision will deliver environmental, economic and social sustainability,” Ms Madew said.
The Curtin University Master Plan will see 114 hectares of the University’s Bentley Campus transformed through urban regeneration over a 20-year period. It supports an urban economy based on education, business, technology, housing, public transport, the arts and recreation.
Stage 1 of the Master Plan is underway. As part of Stage 1, Wesfarmers Court – a dynamic economic and innovative hub – was opened in December last year and was supported by listed company Wesfarmers.
For further information on the Curtin Master Plan, visit http://properties.curtin.edu.au/whoweare/masterplan.cfm
Notes to Editor
For further information on the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star – Communities rating, visit: http://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/green-star-communities/
