This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
AUSTRALIA’S first carbon neutral apartment building, Sentinel’s flagship Build-to-Rent Element 27, has successfully achieved recertification.
The BTR apartment building in Subiaco, Perth, Element 27, gained carbon neutral recertification, after being named as the first apartment building in Australia to reach this benchmark in 2021, under the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Buildings.
Sentinel had worked with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), Climate Active and Stantec’s Sustainability team to establish a certification methodology for the BTR model.
“We’re proud to see Element 27 maintain its carbon neutral status from Climate Active,” said Keith Lucas, managing director of Sentinel, Australia.
“Not only is the building a great example of how the Build to Rent model can offer Australians enhanced housing choices and an opportunity to live greener, but it has also created a critical pathway that will allow more residential buildings to target ongoing carbon neutral outcomes.”
Developed by the Australian arm of US American development and real estate investment firm Sentinel Real Estate Corporation, Sentinel Fund Manager Australia, Element 27 has maintained its neutral status through various sustainable operations since first gaining certification.
These operations have included targeting water and energy conservation, refusing greenhouse gas emissions and utilising Australian-based carbon credits.
“We encourage West Australians to embrace innovative ways of sustainable living, to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Reece Whitby, minister for environment and climate action.
“It’s great to see Sentinel’s commitment to smart housing choices, and we’d love to see more developers taking up greener solutions in the future.”
Key sustainability features on-site at the apartment building including electric car charging stations, a 30kW photovoltaic system for common area energy usage, a rainwater and grey-water recycling system, specialty waste streams, access to a centralised geothermal system, energy efficient appliances, occupancy sensors, an embedded metering network and a leading 8-star NatHERS rating.
“As our Build to Rent pipeline expands across Australia, we remain committed to pursuing industry-leading sustainability targets and helping set new benchmarks for energy performance in the housing sector,” added Lucas.
Sentinel’s Australian pipeline currently includes more than 1,300 BTR units in various stages of development, including the 172-unit Melbourne apartment building, The Briscoe, which is scheduled for a March 2023 completion and is also expected to achieve carbona neutral certification.
