'Green Star' rating for Australian supermarket

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has announced that Coles has achieved the first Green Star rating for a supermarket. Coles Hallam, designed by Michael Carr, an architect in Melbourne, was awarded a four-star Green Star rating. Key achievements at Coles Hallam include 50 per cent more fresh air compared to minimum standards through high-performance heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

There is a 15 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with the use of highly efficient chillers. The LED lighting installed throughout is reducing energy consumption and internal heating. The GBCA praised the whopping 70 per cent reduction in water consumption compared with traditional supermarkets, with the use of water-efficient fixtures and fittings and 150,000-litre-capacity water tanks.

Coles Hallam is also the first supermarket in Australia to undergo a life cycle assessment allowing Coles to make comparisons between different materials and products to select healthy, efficient and sustainable options.

GBCA’s chief executive officer, Romily Madew, observes that Coles, in its determination to develop a ‘supermarket of the future’, has set a new benchmark for sustainable supermarket design in Australia. Coles now has a framework for sustainable buildings that are not only more efficient and cost-effective to run, but are also more comfortable places to work and shop in.