Located in one of Australia’s largest commercial districts, 177 Pacific Highway, is a landmark addition to the North Sydney skyline offering. This 31-storey commercial office tower is North Sydney’s first new commercial building in 6 years and was designed to create a new benchmark for A-Grade buildings.

The 177 Pacific Highway design supports the flexible workspace of the future while minimising energy consumption and building costs. Its design incorporated state-of-the-art elements, large floor plates, harbour views, full end-of-trip facilities, with the ground levels providing a vibrant town square atmosphere, comprising a spectacular entry height of more than 13 metres, public garden plaza featuring café and retail areas. The development aimed to use efficient and flexible design, to target 5 Star Green Star and 5 Star NABERS energy ratings for the building.

A number of environmentally sustainable features have been incorporated into the building including low-temperature air conditioning systems for reduced energy consumption, rainwater harvesting and performance glass facades.

Alerton Australia were engaged by Fredon Air to provide the base and tenant Building Management System (BMS) works at the 40,000sqm site. These works included PAC Units, electrical metering, VAV recalibration and relocation and new ventilation systems. The Optergy BMS was extended to incorporate all new works with a separate tenant login, enhancing communication capabilities and providing a user-friendly and easy system operation. More accurate sensing and effective use of advanced controls will eliminate common faults in HVAC systems and provide effective building management capabilities while also increasing building energy efficiency.

Image via  177 Pacific Highway

The commercial building has successfully achieved a 5 Star - Green Star - Office As Built v3 certified rating. This represents ‘Australian Excellence’ in environmentally sustainable building practices, showcasing its leadership in sustainability and innovation.

In January 2018, 177 Pacific Highway successfully exceeded its 5 Star NABERS rating target, and is now a 5.5 Star NABERS Rated building. With the Alerton Australia controls in place to ensure effectively persistent building operations for the future, and the Optergy EMS system providing further insights into the energy savings potential, we predict there's much more savings to come for this commercial tower.

A challenging yet excellent project, congratulations to all teams involved in this outstanding achievement, contributing to a better, more sustainable Australia for all. This outstanding next-generation workspace achievement is a great milestone to be celebrating.