This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
THE 500 Collins Street office tower in Melbourne has become Australia’s first existing building in to achieve the globally recognised WELL Certification at the Platinum level, leading the way for older properties to be upgraded.
Owned by private property group Kamirice, the 26 storey building was completed in 1973 and features approximately 26,000 sqm in net lettable area, comprising an office tower with a retail plaza at ground level in the western part of the CBD.
It has now been awarded the highest-level certification under the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) WELL Building Standard. The performance-based certification system considers best practices in design and construction with health and wellness.
500 Collins Street earned the distinction based on 10 categories of building performance – air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community.
Other initiatives include the use of non-toxic cleaning products, mindful eating promotion through healthy vending machines and the creation of an online tenant portal to share nutritious recipes and promote mental health. Also noted were the building’s recent multi-million-dollar upgrades which includes a high-quality end-of-trip facility, featuring bicycle parking, showers and lockers, and a new ground floor business lounge, both designed by Gray Puksand.
Mark Ross, managing director of Kamirice, said that COVID-19 has led businesses to re-evaluate employee’s expectations of the workplace, and that this achievement demonstrates a commitment to tenant wellbeing, creating better workplaces and encouraging workers to return to their offices.
“It shows how an older existing building in which investment has been consistent and focussed, and which has been upgraded over the years, was in a position to achieve WELL Platinum Certification.
Kamrice acquired 500 Collins Street in 2002 and following a full upgrade it became the first refurbished office building to achieve a 5-star Green Star Office Design rating in 2007.
Investa Commercial Property Fund and co-owner Gwynvill have just been awarded a Platinum-level WELL certification for the 33 level Sydney office tower Sixty Martin Place. Designed by HASSELL architects and with 40,000 sqm offices of premium grade office space, Sixty Martin Place was completed in 2019 and is home to a range of blue-chip legal and finance firms including Norton Rose Fulbright, Mizuho Financial Group, Munich Re, Banco Chambers.
