by Brianna Crandall — June 1, 2011—Grocon and the GPT Group unveiled plans May 29, 2011 to renovate the heritage-listed Legion House in central Sydney as a carbon-neutral building, designed to be disconnected from the mains electricity grid.
Legion House, which dates from 1902, is part of the 161 Castlereagh Street project, where a premium office tower is currently being developed and built by Grocon for tenants ANZ and Freehills. The Legion House will be the new corporate head office for Grocon in Sydney from 2013.
Grocon says that the renovated Legion House will be one of the most sustainable buildings in the world, surpassing the building that is currently rated the greenest in Australia by the Green Building Council: Pixel in Melbourne. The company says the House will set a new benchmark for the creation of sustainable city precincts.
Legion House will be the first downtown office building in Australia to be disconnected from the mains electricity grid. Any surplus power created will be supplied to the 161 office tower. On-site renewable power for the building will be created through biomass gasification technology, which Grocon says has not been used before in Australia.
The work will include an extension incorporating two new office floors, under heritage consultation, and the internal elevator and stair will be relocated to the exterior of the building, creating a visually interesting laneway entry.
The project will utilize “green” construction materials and methods, including sustainable bamboo and timber elements. Water-saving initiatives will include air-cooled chillers and vacuum toilets, and the building will be water-balanced.
