A Case Study of Sustainable Architecture: One Central Park Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of One Central Park, a prominent example of sustainable architecture in Sydney. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the project's goals, which included efficient use of natural resources and waste management. The introduction emphasizes the project's social and environmental initiatives, positioning it as a leading implementation of sustainable architecture. The report then delves into conceptual design, defining the problem of unsustainable construction practices and identifying the need for ecological balance through innovative designs. The construction section details the materials used, while the design process outlines the strategic management plan followed by the Watpac Construction team. A discussion section covers the project's scope, including the construction phases, safety measures, and the implementation of green initiatives like the on-site trigeneration plant and water recycling systems. The report concludes by emphasizing the project's commitment to environmental conservation, including the use of appropriate building materials and energy optimization, making One Central Park a model for sustainable urban development. References and figures are included to support the analysis.

Firstname Surname (Reg No)
One Central Park- Sustainable Architecture
COIT 210003: SYSTEM THEORY
Assessment 1
Submitted To: submitted By:

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
One Central Park is the ultimate illustration of sustainable architecture. Sustainable architecture seeks to
establish construction on land to ensure that the environment is conserve in as much as a building is put
up. Usually construction projects are huge projects that take up large amounts of resources and staff. The
resources are extracted from nature and the earth’s crust. Human resources need to be well managed and
taken care of to ensure the ecology is conserved. One Central Park is a case study demonstrating the
efficient use of nature and natural matter while disposing the waste profitably. The Park is as self-reliant
as possible. It is constructed on previously owned land and it is sited opposite the University of
Technology on Broadway. It was re-developed industrial site which borders Carlton Street, Broadway,
and Chippendale Way. The contracted was awarded Watpac Construction for the design. The company
constructed five residential towers across three complexes as a section of the Central Park development in
the county’s CBD.
There are many challenges that faced the project. It is documented that there were approximately 360
major adjustments based on new concepts, insights, or change in a natural feature. The whole project
highly depends on nature and seeks to have the highest form of energy optimization. The project
presented the Watpac construction company with numerous opportunities and it yielded great outcomes.
The project outcomes were in line with safety of the construction site, staff, and the future residents of the
magnificent creation. Time was managed and the project was slightly delayed as the project team tried to
manage the uncertainties presented to them during the project execution. Just like any other project, the
documentation was done strictly on a monthly basis to track the project progress.

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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................4
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN...........................................................................................................................6
1. PROBLEM DEFINITION AND NEED IDENTIFICATION.............................................................6
1.1 PROBLEM DEFINITION.................................................................................................................6
1.2 NEED IDENTIFICATION................................................................................................................7
CONSTRUCTION......................................................................................................................................7
DESIGN PROCESS....................................................................................................................................8
DISCUSSION.............................................................................................................................................9
References.................................................................................................................................................14
Figure 1 A sustainable system.......................................................................................................................5
Figure 2 Frasers Property - Seksvi House (Developer).................................................................................7
Figure 3 The Design strategic Management Plan..........................................................................................8
Figure 4 The site plan..................................................................................................................................14
Figure 5 The green wall facade on the one central park east and West Towers..........................................15
Figure 6 The Sky Garden on Level 29.........................................................................................................15

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INTRODUCTION
One Central Park in Sydney.
It is termed a two-billion-dollar development on the southern edge of the Central Business District in
Sydney. The development targets the residential market and the site location is Chippendale where the
Carlton and United Breweries was formerly located. This is the best-case study for architectural
sustainability as there are social and environmental initiatives that underlie its uniqueness and creative
designs. It is endowed with spectacular vertical gardens and sits on a landscaped area of about 15
hectares. There are several social and environmental initiatives in this development and as a result it is
deemed the best implementation of the sustainable architecture (Anon, 2017).
Sustainability seeks to ensure that the future is safe and that the present is enough and can sufficiently
meet the needs of the human beings. According to the Brundtland Report during the world commission on
Environment and Development, sustainability was denoted as the advancement that met the requirements
of the contemporary age without compromising the ability of future cohorts to meet their own
requirements (Villano, et al.). The human age has transition from the stone age to barter trade to
industrialization, and later in service delivery. During the industrialization age, a lot of factories were put
up and as a result pollution occurred. Pollution affects the environment negatively via the air, water, and
soil pollution. These industries tend to produce a lot of wastes and these wastes are incorrectly disposed.
The release of these waste materials largely affects the environment in the present age and in the future
especially if the wastes are toxic. Several organizations have been formed to address the issue of
pollution, waste management, climatic effect, and soil and agricultural impact of the human activities on
land. From an architectural perspective, the sustainable designs integrate the incorporation of capitals and
energy efficacy, healthy buildings, and the use of materials, environmentally and socially subtle land
utilization. This should be done alongside developing favorable aesthetic that inspires and reassures of
creativity in the architectural sphere (WCED, 1987).

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An unsustainable system does destructive extraction of raw materials, manufacturing and processing of
harmful by-products, consumer’s take-in these products and the system recycles the same and does the
production afresh. The nations have discovered that the industrial revolution may cause more harm than
good if not monitored to ensure that the ecology is not affected negatively. Several world summits have
been held. One phenomenal summit was held on June, the 13th of 1992 on the Development of “Agenda
21”. The summit discussed on the eminence of life on earth, the well-organized use of the earth’s
materials, the fortification of our global commons, the supervision of human settlements, the chemicals
and management of waste, and the sustainable economic growth (Ozlem, 2013). Most problems are easily
solved in the modern age by the provision of relevant services. These services can only be provided
where energy is used. For instance, in providing comfort, illumination, power, or transportation. For an
architecture, the major challenge involved is to ensure that the energy services are delivered in a
sustainable manner. Sustainability for an architectural design or service means maximum efficiency
utilizing the minimal environmental impact. Looking at a construction and its impact on the environment,
it is possible to see that a large percentage of the raw materials are extracted from the earth’s surface and
crust, another huge chunk affects the greenhouse gases, and the rest of the percentage is the production of
waste matter during the construction (Elali, 2008).

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Figure 1 A sustainable system
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
1. PROBLEM DEFINITION AND NEED IDENTIFICATION
1.1 PROBLEM DEFINITION
Many private and governmental housing projects are built following a specific procedure. The
stakeholders find the source of funding and raw materials. These raw materials are extracted from the
earth and the given section is not restored for future use. Both the human resource and materials are used
up in the project. Unfortunately, the residential projects done hardly consider the need for ecological
balance in the project implementation. The result of such a disregard is the construction of the concrete
jungle. The concrete jungle interferes with the environment and the climatic patterns. The air, soil and
water bodies surrounding the construction sites are adversely affected by the waste production.

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1.2 NEED IDENTIFICATION
There is dire need to strike a balance in creating the concrete structures and still maintaining a large
enough amount of the plant jungle. The one central park seeks to solve the ecological imbalance
introduced over the decades one construction after another. Sometimes the landscape allocated for
construction is not enough to put up the desired towers and still have enough room for ambient plant and
environmental conservation and balance. The designers and planners need to come up with a design that
utilizes the environment and still does not cause too much waste to be released into the environment.
There is a need to seek an architectural design that is more receptive to climate and the human
requirements on periodic basis.
CONSTRUCTION
Some of the products used in this project despite the constraint in budget and land space are (Hager,
2014),
(i) Meter panels such as MCB, RCBO, Kilowatt hour meters, MCCB, and current transformer.
(ii) Tee off boxes such as the tee-off enclosures and fuses
(iii) Distribution Boards such as Performa range with split chassis, and extension boxes.
(iv) House boards such as golf load centers and isolators.
These are illustrated as shown in the images below,

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Figure 2 Frasers Property - Seksvi House (Developer)
DESIGN PROCESS
The project team of designers and planners at Watpac Construction did the construction
following the specific design management plan as illustrated below,

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Figure 3 The Design strategic Management Plan
The design team comprised of consultants and design managers who defined the actions for
running of the design and the certification process, they outlined the tasks of the design team
affiliates, developed the minimum necessities to ensure valuable control of documentation, and
to ensure that the design is safe for construction.
DISCUSSION
When the stakeholders started the project charter, a number of this were put into consideration such as the
scope, the source of funding, the utilization of resources, quality of the outcome, safety, as well as the

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environmental and sustainability techniques of the project. The scope of the work was scheduled as
shown below in two stages:
(i) Construction of the East and West Towers
(ii) Construction of the Park Land and The Mark
These two construction phases catered for about 33 buildings and 16 buildings in the east and west towers
respectively. There was an extra construction item which is the basement car packing that was meant to
house about 1200 automobiles. The facility housed a public amenity with parkland and landscaped area in
the middle section of the complex. The second phase of the construction sought to construct three
residential buildings with a total of 393 apartments in the Park Lane and 413 apartments in The Mark
sections. Alongside these magnificent apartments is a five-green star design for multi-residential and
retail tools. The construction was keen on the safety of the workers and the stakeholders in the
surrounding. The project has been termed as one of the greenest urban developments in Europe. It was a
challenging undertaking for the project team who needed to ensure that the maintained a detailed record
database, ensured a stringent monthly reporting strategy, conduct on and off site audits, manage
subcontractor engagement and commitment, as well as engaging a reputable and experienced
sustainability consultant. Some of the initiatives that were introduced in the project include the on-site
trigeneration plant. This plant supplies chilled and hot water as well as green energy to all the buildings in
a bid to reduce the carbon emission. The houses use recycled water from the Blackwater system for non-
human contact activities such as flushing the toilet, mechanical factory water supply, or washing machine
water. Such a system minimizes the demand on the main supply system. The entire project gives an
impression of a system that is self-sufficient and can sustain itself. The buildings have well-structured
gutters to collect rain water from the roof structures. More water is harvested from the impermeable
surfaces and plater box drainage which collect the storm water. Another source of water is the ground
water that is harvested from the basement drainage sections. The sewage is drained to an oxidation pond
for refining (Central Park: One Central PArk, Park Lane, and The Mark Technical Paper, 2013).

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The project outcome in line with the environmental conservation includes an array of water and electricity
metering. The location of the building would determine a lot in environmental conservation. The project
utilized the appropriate building fabric as shown in the appendix. The building material is intended to
enable good lighting and shade for the residents. It is able to collect, store, and distribute the solar thermal
energy as well as the daylight into the building. This saves the property manager a lot of expenses with
regards to the lighting during the day especially on the corridors and the stairways. The lifts may need a
constant supply of electricity from solar, nuclear, or hydropower. It may also incorporate the LED
technology in the lifts. The elevator may depend on the daylight brought into the building owing to the
good setting to capture the sun rays into the building. One Central Park is an energy-optimized building
design that has healthy indoor environments that exhibit high standards of thermal and visual comfort.
The smart energy design and the use of materials and energy from sustainable sources (Lewis, 2007).

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The project used sustainable construction material. Usually, most construction projects use materials
extracted from the earth’s crust which leave the earth void and desolate in a manner that it can no longer
be used even for agricultural purposes. The project sustainability team identified sustainable sources of
extraction, processing, and manufacture for the mechanical plant in the vicinity. The transportation and
assembly of materials was done conservatively as to maintain the life cycle of all the plants and soil
excavation processes. Waste materials are inevitable in such an environment. The project team came up
with sustainable strategies to recycle and correctly dispose any materials that were not recyclable.

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Conclusion
In a nutshell, there is a lot of effort being put in ensuring sustainable systems are used in this current age.
The developers and architects have to be very creative and innovative to achieve an eco-friendly structure.
The designers need to work with a team of sustainability experts who give them great insights into the
ecological conservation techniques and strategies. Such innovations and implementations are costly when
implementing but quite affordable in the long run. The residents in the One Central Park enjoy a lot of
benefits and cost reduction. They do not use a lot of energy during the day as the rooms are well set to
absorb sunlight. The project encountered several challenges in terms of resources and the speed at the
beginning of the project. There were about 360 major changes in terms of variation and direction that
were mostly issued while undertaking the design element of the building.
Recommendation
(i) Improvement on the energy optimization plan by implementing better innovations in the
lighting of the building at night.
(ii) Include more water harvesting methods to ensure that almost 0% water is lost during the
whole water transmission and use process. Recycling and Reuse should be well implemented
as to ensure the safety of the residents.
(iii) Implementation of the new technologies such as heliostat. The heliostat as shown in the
appendix is unique in its implementation and execution. It is a sophisticated light reflecting
feature in Australia that incorporates the architectural design of the luxurious residential
tower.
(iv) The use of Green wall allows the implementation of the sit-on planter boxes that contain the
hundreds of species of plants. The Watpac team had to come up with an innovative way to
have plants on the walls and still uphold the aesthetics of the building. There are planter
boxes on the walls of each tower as shown in the appendix section below.

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REFERENCES
References
Alternative Construction Systems: Contemporary Natural Building Methods edited by Lynne Elizabeth
and Cassandra Adams (New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2000. ISBN: 0-471-24951-3)
Architecture and building services. (n.d.). Sustainable Building Services.
doi:10.11129/detail.9783955531690.8
(n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2017, from http://www.related.com/our-company/properties/10/ONE-
CENTRAL-PARK
Behind the green door: a critical look at sustainable architecture through 600 objects. (2014).
Oslo, Norway: Oslo Architecture Triennale.
Green Building: A Primer for Builders, Consumers, and Realtors (5th ed.) (Edgewater, MD: Building
Environmental Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.), 2000 -- online at
http://www.energybuilder.com/greenbld.htm)
Hydes, K., & Fosket, J. (2013). Sustainable Sustainable Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
sustainability/sustainable heating ventilation and air conditioning. Sustainable Built Environments, 653-
665. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5828-9_900
Services. (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2017, from
http://www.liro.com/services/architecture_sustainable_design.htm
Özlem, %. (2013). Sustainable Buildings with Their Sustainable Facades. International Journal of
Engineering and Technology, 725-730. doi:10.7763/ijet.2013.v5.651
(2013). Central Park: One Central Park, Park Lane, and The Mark Technical Paper. Sydney: Watpac
Construction Pty Ltd.
Elali, Z. (2008, May 30). Engineering for Climate Change: An Overview. OACETT AGM, pp. 1-60.
Hager. (2014). One Central Park Sydney, NSW. Energy Distribution & Wiring Accessories Commercial,
5-6.
Lewis, P. J. (2007, June). Energy Efficiency-an Architect's Perspective. UCD Energy Research Group,
pp. 1-25.
National Green Building Conference http://www.nahbrc.org/conferencesseminarsgreen.asp?
TrackID=&CategoryID=1676 Sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders.
The Art of Natural Building: Design, Construction, Technology by Joseph F. Kennedy (Kingston, NM :
NetWorks Productions, 1999 -- online at http://www.networkearth.org/naturalbuilding/colloquium.html)
Understanding Sustainable Architecture. (2002). doi:10.4324/9780203217290

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Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors by J. William Thompson, Kim
Sorvig, and Craig D. Farnsworth (Washington, DC: Island Press, 2000. ISBN: 1-55963-646-7)
Villano, I., Bernadi, A., Viotto, M., Cela, G., Kaptijn, N., & Keuning, E. (n.d.). Sustainable Architecture.
WCED. (1987). The Brundtland Report. World Commission on Environment and Development.
APPENDICES
(i) The landscape plan
(ii) The construction design incorporating nature on the buildings
Figure 4 The site plan

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Figure 5 The green wall facade on the one central park east and West Towers
(iii) More designs on the One Central Park
Figure 6 The Sky Garden on Level 29
(iv) The green wall prototype before full implementation as shown in section (ii)

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