A new commercial office tower at 40 Mount Street in North Sydney is leading the way in sustainable, yet stunning design. The Ark is the first high rise building in New South Wales to be certified Six Star Green Star for Office Design V2 and developers, Investa, are also targeting five star NABERS energy rating.

Designed by architects Rice Daubney and built by Thiess, the Ark features a huge glass wing which appears suspended in front of the southern façade. This lets in light and takes advantage of the uninterrupted panoramic views across Sydney Harbour to the city.

Inside, tenants are delighted with the large floor plates, natural light and energy efficiency. The building was 85% leased at completion, anchored by Coca-Cola Amatil and Vodafone Hutchison Australia.

“A key feature of this environmentally sustainable building is the implementation of a tri-generation plant,” Hastie Australia Project Manager, Paul O’Reilly said. “The plant is primarily made up of a 770 kWe reciprocating gas engine and a 650kWr absorption chiller which allow three outputs – electricity, heating and cooling. It produces about 80% of the building’s electricity requirements as well as producing domestic hot water for bathrooms and kitchenettes, and chilled water for space air conditioning throughout the building.”

The mechanical services were designed and constructed by Hastie Australia. Paul said, in keeping with the sustainable design, MEPS2 High Efficiency motors were incorporated into all Fantech fans throughout the job with their operating life being no less than 100,000 hours.

The green design also incorporates facilities for cyclists, recharging bays for electric and hybrid pool cars, as well as stormwater and greywater recycling systems.

“The old site of the North Sydney Telephone Exchange has been dramatically transformed, but its history is not forgotten with the building’s forecourt featuring major works from leading Australian artists linking the old with the new,” Paul said.