U-MAX project earns 6 Star Green Star rating

Library at The Dock features thermally broken window systems

The recently completed library and community centre in Melbourne is garnering national attention for the array of sustainable features used in design and construction. The Library at the Dock included the U-MAX™ thermally broken 100 Centre Glaze aluminium framing system in the design and construction. The project was a joint initiative of the state government developer Places Victoria, Lend Lease and the City of Melbourne. It is part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s Docklands Community and Place Plan aimed at making Docklands one of Australia’s most liveable suburbs.

About the library and its building:

From the Renew Economy website:

Melbourne library first public building to get 6 Green Stars

The doors have opened on Australia’s most sustainable library. Located on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, Australia’s most sustainable library, Library at The Dock has been granted Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star rating for a public building. Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia, Romilly Madew, congratulated the City of Melbourne, Places Victoria and Lend Lease for a collaboration that has delivered an outstanding public asset. “Public buildings – whether they are national galleries or local libraries – are the heart of our communities. For this very reason, public buildings should be efficient, healthy, productive and resilient. The community now has independent proof that their library is all of these things”.

The three-storey building is the first public building in the country to be made from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), a manufactured product using layers of timber to create solid panels. It is 30 per cent lighter than traditional structures, significantly reducing the requirement for new foundations. The building’s passive design promotes natural ventilation, daylight and great indoor air quality, resulting in reduced energy consumption and a healthier, more productive indoor environment.Water is collected from the roof and discharged to a 55,000-litre tank in the nearby Victoria Green Park for reuse within the building. A third of the building’s operational power will be supplied from 85kw solar panels on the roof.