3 Parramatta Square

3 Parramatta Square (3PS) building is part of the $2.7 billion Parramatta Square redevelopment, one of the most significant urban renewal projects in Australia. This unique and striking building includes one of the largest naturally lit atriums of any commercial building in the country. It comprises indoor planting suspended from the ceilings to bring a connection with nature into the workplace for over 4,000 employees from mid-2020.

The façade incorporates a unique design of “stacked boxes” and many outdoor terraces within the 16 storeys, 45,000m2 of space. 3 Parramatta Square also welcomes an additional four retailers into the precinct providing a fusion of cuisines for tenants and locals to enjoy.

Ambitious sustainability goal

The project had an ambitious sustainability goal of:

• 5 Star Green Star Design and As-Built Rating
• 6 Star Green Star Interiors Rating
• 5.5 Star NABERS Energy and 5 Star NABERS Water
• WELL Gold Interiors Rating

LCI worked closely with the Head Contractor, Built Obayashi Joint Venture (BOJV), to lift the rating from 5 Stars to 6 Stars during the project delivery. This notable achievement marks our first 6 Star Green Star award since LCI Sydney was established.

When quality meets efficiency

This building has been designed to provide a high level of occupant comfort and indoor environment quality whilst not compromising energy and water efficiency performance. Sustainable initiatives include:

• Unique hybrid passive chilled beam and low-temperature VAV mechanical system. This system significantly reduces ceiling head height requirement and air distribution fan energy.
• Advanced design featuring high-efficiency chillers, hybrid cooling towers and EC plug fans achieved a 5.5 Star + 15% NABERS Energy base building rating whilst catering for the higher-than-normal tenancy requirements
• Climate Adaptation Planning, including flood protection measures, high-performance glazing for solar and zone load control, energy-efficient HVAC systems to reduce the peak demand on grid infrastructure, and a robust emergency generation capacity to keep the building running in the unlikely event of a power failure
• High indoor environment quality is delivered through healthy and low-emitting building materials and finishes, 100% additional outside air than standard, noise attenuation measures, internal blinds to maintain high levels of visual comfort, radiant cooling technology that delivers enhanced thermal comfort performance, and inspiring views for occupants
• A transit-oriented development that encourages occupants to drive a modal shift to low carbon forms of travel, including train, bus, ferry, and soon to cater for light rail commuters with the planned light rail station
• High-quality end-of-trip facilities that cater for a minimum of 7.5% of occupants to encourage bicycle commuting. Electric vehicle charging stations are also provided for occupants to encourage the uptake of EVs.
• Inter-floor connectivity within the building to encourage active fitness and social interactions between building occupants
• Industry-leading water efficiency in hydraulic fixtures and fittings, hybrid cooling towers, and a rainwater harvest and reuse system that provides annual water savings of over 16,000,000L compared to a standard practice building. The water saved is equivalent to more than six Olympic size swimming pools every year.
• A third-party verified life cycle assessment was carried out on the building’s construction materials to confirm the reduction in environmental impact across 11 impact categories as compared to a building constructed in line with business-as-usual practices. This includes a 22% reduction in embodied and operational carbon or 7,494 tCO2e per year; equivalent to planting 32,664 trees each year or taking 1,433 cars off the road for a year over the building’s design life.
• 15% of construction materials by cost is made up of sustainable products with recycled content, third-party eco-labels or environmental product declarations.
• A range of innovations was targeted, including community benefits, contractor health and well-being initiatives, contractor sustainability education and a high-performance site office.