Mirvac’s Orion Springfield Town Centre, 17km south-east of Ipswich, is the first retail centre to be awarded a six star rating by the Green Building Council Australia.
The centre – which has won awards from the Environmental Protection Agency, Urban Development Institute of Australia, Property Council of Australia and the Australian Property Institute – is developed and managed by property group Mirvac, with the first stage of the centre set to open in March 2007.
“Orion Springfield was designed from inception to achieve World’s Best Practice in Environmental Sustainability,” says Mirvac’s CEO Greg Paramor.
“To be the first retail centre recognised by the Green Building Council of Australia is testament to the strength of Orion Springfield’s green credentials and allows us to spread the environmental message even further at a commercial level.”
The environmental benefits that come with the green star credentials include 42 per cent saving in power use (enough to power 500 Queensland homes per year); 68 per cent saving in potable (drinking water) use (enough to fill 40 Olympic size swimming pools per year); saving of 5000 tonnes of Greenhouse gas emissions (equivalent to taking 1,162 cars off the road per year) and saving of 5000 tonnes of landfill waste.
“Mirvac’s vision from the outset for Orion Springfield was to set the benchmark for innovation and sustainability for a retail development. We will continue to employ and enhance environmental initiatives developed in Stage 1 in future stages of the centre,” adds Paramor.
Mirvac is finalising plans for a $70 million second stage of the town centre, after agreeing to lease terms with retail giants Target, Coles and Aldi which would also include up to 80 specialty stores across 65,000 square metres including fashion retailers, service providers and restaurants.