Sustainable Design Guidelines

Commercial development
Mayors message

Yarra City Council is working towards a more sustainable inner city

environment as well as making our planning and building information
easily accessible. These Sustainable Design Guidelines aim to achieve both
these goals.
The Guidelines are part of the Citys Greenhouse Action Plan, which
includes the goal of reducing greenhouse emissions in the Yarra
community by 20% from 1996 levels, or 300,000 tonnes, by 2010. It is
estimated that 85% of greenhouse emissions from the Yarra community
are from electricity and gas consumption. One way to achieve the
reduction goal is to build more energy and water efcient new buildings
and to incorporate sustainable design principles into existing buildings
when renovating.
The Guidelines are for residents, planners, builders and architects. Using
the Guidelines will make buildings more comfortable, improve energy
and water efciency, and save you money in the long term.
I encourage you to nd out how you can contribute to the health of
our environment and make your building perform better by using the
Sustainable Design Guidelines.

Cr Kay Meadows
Mayor, City of Yarra
Sustainable Design Guidelines
Commercial development
Provide natural light to retail and
ofce spaces.
Improve ventilation and control of
air ow.
Improve productivity by enhancing
the internal environment.
Whats important in designing a
sustainable commercial development?
Sustainable ofces and retail developments assist
organisations to be more productive and reduce the
environmental footprint of their construction and
operation. They also require creative design.
To be truly sustainable, commercial buildings should:
be adaptable to changing patterns of use so that
business needs can be met for extended periods
without early refurbishment or demolition
provide quality environments while minimising
demands for energy, materials and water.
This booklet is part of a series of sustainable design
guidelines, produced in the interests of good sus-
tainable development.
Each booklet in the series explains strategies to take
advantage of key sustainable design opportunities
for different types of development:
single dwellings or extensions
townhouse developments
apartment developments
warehouse conversions
commercial developments.
Booklets are available on Councils website at
www.yarracity.vic.gov.au or from Council ofces at:
Richmond Town Hall, 333 Bridge Rd, Richmond
Collingwood Town Hall, 140 Hoddle St, Abbotsford
or by telephone:
Yarra Access on (03) 9205 5555
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 Energy services

Lighting
Retail
Good illumination is essential in order to achieve a
quality shopping experience. The good news is that
quality illumination may also increase turnover while
reducing operating costs, so protability is increased.
Ofces
In an ofce, efcient lighting is cheaper to maintain
and provides a more productive working environment.
General strategies
Lighting opportunities include:
using daylight wisely. Studies show that sensible
use of daylight in retail outlets (shops, cafs, etc.)
can increase sales by 30 per cent and
productivity in ofces by 20 per cent. Be careful
Fig. 1 Light collectors on external walls to control solar heat gain - refer to the section
There are many different ways light shelves and reectors on glazing in these Guidelines
can be used to improve the quantity of natural lighting.
using suitably located and shaded windows,
skylights and atria to control direct summer sun.
Light harvesters can increase the effectiveness of
daylighting
maximising the benet of natural lighting and
electric lighting with light coloured interior
A glazed roof with inter-
nal blinds reduces glare
nishes.
during summer and
Air vents at the upper levels of
traps heat during winter.
an atrium space promotes good
natural ventilation by purging
warm rising air out of the space.

Light shelves are very simple reectors

that penetrate natural light deep into
a tenancy.

ofce space ofce space

Balcony fronts can aid in

reecting light down to
lower levels ensuring an ofce space ofce space
even spread of daylight
Fig. 2 Natural lighting for retail
throughout the atrium.
atrium Features such as top lit atriums, light-
retail space retail space shelf reectors and using light surface
colours can redistribute natural light to a
large area.

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Sustainable Design Guidelines
Energy services
Smart lighting
Control lighting wisely by:
providing task lighting for desks (which has
the potential to halve the electricity required
for lighting, while giving staff control over the
illumination of their work area.)
providing appropriate grouping and switching of
light circuits
installing sensors to automatically switch off lights in
daylit areas when there is sufcient natural light
using occupancy sensors to control lights in
areas which are not continuously occupied,
such as storerooms and service areas
using time switches to ensure display lights do not
operate when not required (e.g. after midnight).
Efcient lighting
Options for efcient lighting include:
metal halide lamps which produce a crisp white light
improving the appearance of premises and
merchandise. They have an efciency about the
same as the best uorescent lamps, but more
light output, and so fewer ttings are needed.
Being smaller than uorescent ttings, they are
easier to integrate into a shop interior design
modern uorescent and uorescent lamps, tri-
phosphor lamps which have high efciency,
good colour (unlike the blue hues of
older lamps), a very long life (8,00016,000
hours rated life compared with 1,0002,000 for
incandescent lamps) and are low cost
electronic ballasts to reduce lighting
electricity use by at least 20 per cent while
producing a more pleasant light, and increasing
lamp life by about 50 per cent
avoiding inefcient lights. Incandescent
lamps (standard light bulbs and low voltage
lights) should only be used in ttings which will
be operated for less than 500 hours per year,
such as cleaners rooms, or for outside lights
controlled by movement detectors.
The design of the light tting is also important in reduc-
ing energy use an efcient reector and shroud or
louvre will allow the light to illuminate the store and the
merchandise. The merchandise should appear to be the
brightest objects in the store, not the light ttings.
These initiatives will reduce electricity use and heat
generated by the lighting, and so make staff and
customers more comfortable. Cooling systems will also
use less energy.
Green Star commercial
ofce rating
A projects environmental outcomes can be max-
imised by engaging an Environmental Sustainable
Development (ESD) consultant during the design
phase. The rating tool, Green Star, uses a broad
range of categories to evaluate an ofce design.
This tool of the Australian Green Building Council
rates commercial ofce building designs on a six
Commercial development
star scale. The assessment covers energy, water,
transport, materials, land use, indoor environmental
quality, air emissions and innovation. An ESD
consultant can assist by providing advice to
maximise the star rating achieved by your project.
Visit the website of the Green Business Council
Australia at www.gbcaus.org/greenstar
Air conditioning
Many retail outlets are too hot in winter and too cold
in summer, driving costs up and potentially driving
customers away. If your clientele and visitors normally
arrive dressed for the weather, take this into account
when calculating heating and cooling capacity, and
when setting the temperature. A dead band between
heating and cooling will save energy and reduce heat-
ing ghting cooling. For example, adjust the air-condi-
tioning to heat no higher than 20C and cool no lower
than 24C. (See gure 3.)
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 Energy services

Air conditioning (cont.)

A building which is well designed will be more
Peaks show when narrow band
cooling begins heating and cooling comfortable for customers than one which is intrinsi-
cally uncomfortable with airconditioning bolted on.
Temperature

Troughs indicate
The rst and most important step in achieving a
heating comfortable retail facility or ofce space is to design
an efcient building envelope. This will also:
Time lower the capital cost of airconditioning plant,
as smaller quantities of heating and cooling are
required at peak periods
reduce energy consumption and costs
Peaks show when wide band (dead
cooling begins band) heating and reduce peak electrical demand charges.
cooling
Air conditioning systems, which deliver air through
outlets in workstations and give workers individual
control, can result in the lowest energy consumption
Temperature

as well as increasing staff satisfaction. These systems

typically incorporate underoor air distribution.
Troughs indicate
heating
Time

Fig. 3 Heating and cooling cycles

Cycling from heating to cooling uses energy. Setting your
thermostat to cycle more slowly with a wider (or dead) band
between maximum and minimum temperatures will conserve Under-oor systems of air
energy.
supply
High level Under-oor air supply has several benets compared
exhaust
with conventional systems:
lower oor-to-oor height, so less materials are
Displacement air systems
Air warmed by body
with adjustable vents
required in construction
heat rises towards
exhaust registers in the in a raised access oor less fan power is required
ceiling. Temperatures provide a much more
are more even and air is efcient and healthy air the system can be congured to suit the
delivery.
less draughty. individual needs of occupants, increasing
comfort, satisfaction and productivity
fresh air and conditioned air is delivered close
Underoor air
to people (where it is needed). This allows the
supply average room temperature to be higher in
summer and lower in winter without adversely
Fig. 4 Ofce air conditioning impacting on comfort and means heating and
Displacement air removes contaminants quickly and if cooling energy can be saved.
coupled with a 100% fresh air supply, can result in far
healthier occupants.

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Sustainable Design Guidelines
Energy services

Glazing
Windows are important as they admit natural light
(see Lighting), can display merchandise to passers-by
Air lled cavity
6mm - 19mm wide
and entice customers into your store.

exterior interior In ofces, windows provide natural light, visual

relief,and a psychological link to the outside
world.These inuences can potentially increase
Sun radiation, visible
wavelengths, and
productivity and improve your business. On the
also infra red heat other hand, glass can add greatly to unwanted
energy, ultra violet heat gain and heat loss. This will increase energy
light.
costs, may drive customers away and make staff
Transmitted
visible light physically uncomfortable.
Some ways of having the best of both worlds
include:
using high performance glass and glazing
Transmitted
heat
systems. For example, on a west faade, a glass
Double glazed unit with a high light transmission but low solar heat
with low emissivity
coating on exterior
transmission (shading coefcient) can reduce
side of second pane. heat gain by two thirds while only reducing light
Fig. 5 Glazing properties transmission by 40 per cent
High performance glazing can be very effective at both maximising
using high performance glass in double

Commercial development
natural light while reducing incoming solar radiation the heat of
the sun. glazing systems can cut winter heat loss by
two-thirds
considering an air-lock between window displays
and the main area of the shop. The back wall of
the window display can be glass or a translucent
material, so daylight enters the store
carefully considering where the window should
start. A sill height of about one metre in most
shops/restaurants/ofces will reduce heat loss
and gain without affecting useful window area
providing permanent external shading for
north, east and west glass
avoiding dark-coloured metal window frames.

The additional investment in quality glazing is

normally recouped immediately through savings
in needing smaller airconditioning plant and duct
work, etc.

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 Energy services

Ventilation
Ventilation is a free means of removing heat from a
Northerly sun heats up
building after a hot summer day. In addition:
an enclosed vertical
space - or chimney. providing the option of natural ventilation will
avoid the need for air-conditioning for most of
A weather proof cap the year
is required to stop
rain ingress. openable external walls in restaurants improve
ambience and provide natural cooling
thermal chimneys can induce a gentle
cooling air-ow using nothing more than
the stack effect
outside air can be used for cooling buildings
A dark colour to the exterior
with air-conditioning systems.
surfaces of the chimney Economy cooling will automatically use outside
encourages heat buildup
driving the stack effect
air for cooling when conditions are suitable.
more efciently.
ofce space

Natural tendency of heated Insulation

ofce space air to rise forms currents of
air which draw warm air from
each level.
Ceilings with R 3.5 insulation (plus foil) and walls
with R 2.0 insulation will make your new store or of-
ce more comfortable and cheaper to operate. The
R value relates to the resistance to heat transfer of
insulating materials.

Fig. 6 Thermal chimney stack effect

Simply allowing a vertical column of air to heat up sufciently,
can create a very effective source of extractive ventilation. How-
ever performance will vary depending on external temperatures.

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Sustainable Design Guidelines
Air handling
Making it easier
Large volumes of
exhausted air.
Reduce the load on your airconditioning system
by keeping front-of-store and operational areas
separate. This is especially important in restaurants,
where the kitchen will have completely different
requirements to the dining room. If there will
be exhaust hoods (e.g. over deep fryers), provide an
un-conditioned outside air supply near the exhaust
Kitchen stove
with exhaust hood, to prevent dragging airconditioned air
cupboard. from the building.
Self-closing vents
in external wall for
make up air supply.
Incorporate CO sensors in the airconditioning sys-
tem, to automatically control the amount of outside
air according to actual occupancy rather than maxi-
mum predicted occupancy. (This will avoid wasting
heating and cooling energy and reduce the need for
Fig. 7 Commercial kitchen exhaust
cooling towers, as, at lower loads air-cooled systems
Commercial kitchens exhaust large quantities of air.
This air must be replaced, which usually comes from
become more competitive.)
the heated areas of the restaurant increasing heating
loads. By providing self closing vents close to the exter-
nal exhaust, fresh air will be used as make-up instead
of warmed air from other parts of the restaurant. Natural refrigerants
Be aware that some refrigerants used in com-

Commercial development
mercial refrigeration and airconditioning contain
Chlorouorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydrochlorouoro-
carbons (HCFCs) and will be phased out. Consider
using alternative refrigerants which do not affect the
ozone layer or increase greenhouse warming. For
example, a common refrigerant R22 has greenhouse
warming potential (GWP) of 1700 (1700 times higher
than CO) and an ozone depleting potential of 0.055
(about one twentieth that of refrigerant R11).

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 Water

Supplying hot water

The priorities for minimising hot water costs and
environmental impact are:
A north facing roof is reducing the demand for hot water (e.g water
Solar panel for water essential for solar hot
water heating.
efcient basins, dishwasher, taps, etc.)
heating.
locating appliances using hot water close
together and near the water heater
considering solar water heating which is well
suited to commercial kitchens because of the
high demand for hot water, and the tendency
to use water during the day or early evening
Gas boosted hot
reducing the heat lost from circulation pipes
water cylinder. Rear of building (reticulation losses) as these can exceed the
energy consumed as a result of using the hot
water.

Fig. 8 Solar hot water The priorities can be achieved by:

Solar hot water panels which heat water directly by the suns
energy need north facing sloped roofs to work effectively.
minimising pipe run lengths
insulating circulation pipes with at least 25mm
of closed cell foam
selecting the lowest water temperature able to
satisfy requirements (eg: 50C is sufcient
for hand washing, showering etc.)
ensuring the circulation pump is time-switched
off when the building is unoccupied
calculating whether local point-of-use heaters
would use less energy than a central system (e.g.
a single basin which is far from other hot water
users). In some applications, an instantaneous
electric water heater will provide better service
and eliminate that source of circulation losses.

Reduce heat loss from stored hot water by:

specifying a storage heater with the highest
available energy star rating, as this is a good
indicator of its insulation quality
adjusting the temperature set-point as low as
possible, consistent with Legionella control lower
limit of 60C (refer specic legionella regulations).

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Sustainable Design Guidelines
Water
Water sensitive urban design
There are two important interrelated environmental
objectives in relation to water use:
reducing the demand for water so that it
doesnt have to be imported from other
catchments
ensuring that stormwater runoff doesnt
adversely effect local waterways (Merri
and Darebin Creeks and Yarra River) which
ultimately ow into Port Phillip Bay.
A water sensitive urban design approach can result
in enhanced landscaping or water features being
integrated into the design of the building, adding to
the amenity and aesthetics of the building while also
improving water quality.
Key sustainable water strategies to consider during
design and construction are:
selecting minimum ow (AAA rated) taps,
showerheads and appliances such as
dishwashers and washing machines

Commercial development
installing waterless urinals for staff and
customers
installing rainwater tanks and reusing the water
for toilet ushing. Storage tanks can be placed
in basement car parks, underground or even
form a feature in common areas
allowing rainwater to inltrate through the soil
rather than drain off site by:
landscaping on balconies, podiums, roofs or
faade elements
selecting specic growth media and plants
to maximise nutrient removal to improve
stormwater quality
limiting impervious surface areas
minimising the demand for landscape watering
by selecting local indigenous and drought
resistant plants. (For more information regarding
species selection, refer to the booklet Gardening
with Native Plants in Yarra which is available
from Council.)

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 Landscaping

2. Storm water
collected form roof.

5. Soaker irrigation 1.Grey water

to landscaping. supply.
4.Grey water
ltering and
repumping to
cisterns.

3.Grey water collected

and pumped to ltering.

Fig. 9 Water recycling

Water can be reused for a number of applications before
entering the public sewer.

Landscaping
Building-integrated landscaping also contributes to
Provide drip irrigation
directly to base of sustainable outcomes by providing shading, insula-
planters to maintain tion, better air quality and contributing to biodi-
growth.
versity conservation. Design strategies to consider
include:
using deciduous plants to shade west, north
and east windows from summer sun
using native vines to green building facades
integrating planting into screening elements
providing built-in planter boxes on balconies or
rooftops
ensuring the site is well prepared before planting
and mulch is applied after planting.

Fig. 10 Greening via balconies

Lightweight structures which hold deciduous vegetation or adjust-
able blinds make exterior spaces comfortable all year.

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Sustainable Design Guidelines
Materials and Waste

Materials and waste minimisation

Building materials have environmental impacts

200
throughout their life cycle (from the sourcing of the
raw material to their post use disposal). While the

180
scientic issues are complex, listed below are some
simple principles to reduce the impacts of construc-
160 tion material.
Design developments to enable rooms to be
140

used for multiple functions (to reduce overall

building size and reduce the likelihood of
120

premature demolition or modication).

100

Select dimensions to suit standard material sizes

MJ per kg

to reduce wastage.
Favour construction systems that allow for
80

off-site prefabrication.
60

Avoid expensive building materials to reduce

embodied energy - higher cost materials usually
40

require more energy to produce.

Select materials that require minimal nishes
20

and maintenance.
Prefer recycled and low embodied energy

Commercial development
0
Insulation polystyrene
Insulation fibreglass
Insulation cellulose

Aluminium (virgin)
Concrete precast
Timber softwood

Steel (recycled)
Concrete block
Plasterboard

Steel (virgin)
Glass float
Linoleum
Plywood
MDF

Aluminium (recycled)

Fig. 11 Embodied energy (MJ/kg)
Embodied energy describes the sum total energy expenditure for a
particular material from mineral extraction through to site delivery.
Fig. 12 Material research
ecospecier is a not-for-prot commercial subscription
database detailing a number of aspects of a material:
embodied energy, volatile organic compound release,
recycled content and many more.
materials.
To reduce the embodied energy of a typical steel
and concrete structure, specify:
steel produced from post consumer waste
concrete blends to include maximum use of
cement extender (such as y ash or blast
furnace slag)
concrete incorporating recycled aggregate
wherever practicable.
Consider constructing workstations using panels
that can be manually dismantled and assembled.
This improves exibility for future ofce
recongurations and therefore reduces waste.
For information on reducing construction and
demolition waste, see the Builders Code of Practice
and Waste Management Guidelines published by
the City of Yarra and available at Council ofces.

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 Materials

Indoor air quality

The use of synthetic building materials, nishes and
furnishings which release (or off-gas) pollutants can
contribute to poor air quality and wellbeing. While
Volatile Organic Compounds
pollutant levels from individual sources may not pose
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), are a range
a signicant health risk by themselves, most build-
of chemical substances that become volatile at
ings have multiple sources of indoor air pollution
room temperature. They are given off by most
which may interact. Avoid key problem sources and
paints, wood preservatives and glues commonly
materials by:
used during construction. Formaldehyde is a
only applying nishes to structural materials common VOC which is contained in most
where necessary. For example, selecting off-form manufactured wood products such as plywood
concrete nishes rather than additional paint or and MDF.
render
Exposure to VOCs can be a health risk depending
asking to see material safety data sheets to on the specic composition of the VOCs present,
compare products its concentration and the length of exposure.
generally preferring natural materials to VOCs have been linked to a range of health
synthetics problems such as eye, nose, and throat irrita-
using sustainably grown solid wood or plywood tions, headache, fatigue, coughing, sneezing and
as an alternative to Medium Density Fibreboard dizziness. Some VOCs are suspected or known to
(MDF) or particleboard. If manufactured wood cause cancer in humans. The build up of VOCs in
products are used, cover all surfaces and edges indoor environments have been associated with
with laminates or seal them with low emitting sick building syndrome.
paint or varnish to reduce emissions of
formaldehyde
painting walls, ceilings and other surfaces with
low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)
conventional water-based paints or mineral
based paints instead of petrochemical
paints and varnishes
generally nishing timber with plant based hard
oils or waxes instead of polyurethane nishes
Ceiling
using linoleum, cork or ceramic oor tiles paint
Furniture
instead of vinyl ooring Wall
paint
generally using water based or quick drying
Carpet
adhesives and llers
considering rugs or other ooring materials such
as sisal or coir as an alternative to carpet
when selecting new carpet, request information
about the emissions of the carpet (even woollen Fig. 13 Internal VOC release
carpet is usually treated with a range of Internal environment quality is affected by release of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs).
chemicals to prevent staining) and underlay
using indoor plants to assist with removing VOCs.

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Sustainable Design Guidelines
Transport

Minimising car use

Encouraging staff to cycle or walk to work will im-
prove their tness and productivity. Regular cycling
and walking reduces the likelihood of heart disease,
diabetes, obesity, stress and depression. In addition
walking and cycling will help to reduce the numbers
of cars on the streets.
To encourage bicycle use, provide secure bicycle
parking, individual showers and locker facilities for
employees.

Fig. 14 Bicycle hoop

Commercial development

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 General references

Practical information on sustainable design and con- Yarra City Council 2005.
struction can be found on the following websites.
Appliance Energy Labelling Scheme
www.energyrating.gov.au
Bicycle Victoria
www.bv.com.au
Building Commission DesignInc
Melbourne Central Tower
www.buildingcommission.com.au Level 51, 360 Elizabeth St
Commonwealth Department of Environment Melbourne, VIC 3000
T: 03 9654 9654
and Heritage F: 03 9653 4321
Information about indoor air quality www.designinc.com.au
www.deh.gov.au/atmosphere/airtoxics
Ecorecycle Victoria
www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au
Ecospecier
www.ecospecier.org
Ark Resources
Environment Protection Authority Suite 4, 24 Eastern Rd
www.epa.vic.gov.au South Melbourne VIC 3205
T: 03 9636 0280
Green Building Council Australia F: 03 9636 0285
www.gbcaus.org www.ark-resources.com.au
Sustainable Energy Authority
www.seav.vic.gov.au
Victorian Government Department of Human
Services
Information about greywater re-use
www.health.vic.gov.au/environment/downloads/
greywater_usage.pdf

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