Green Square Public School & Community Spaces, Sydney, NSW

School Infrastructure NSW (SINSW) is the department of the NSW government responsible for delivering the program of works that aims to provide access to high quality education facilities across NSW for all school-aged children.

The Green Square Public School and Community Spaces is located at 3 Joynton Avenue, Zetland and is a joint project between SINSW and the City of Sydney. The development comprises a three-storey building made up of various indoor and outdoor functional spaces including:

• Flexible teaching spaces
• A library and canteen
• Staff rooms, administrative offices and amenities
• A covered outdoor learning area (COLA)
• Multipurpose spaces (community and shared spaces)
• Out of school hours care (OSHC)
• A games court and adjacent courtyard (shared spaces)
• A communal hall (shared space).

As the sustainability consultant for the project, NDY worked with stakeholders and the project team to identify sustainability targets and nominate strategies to achieve those targets in design.

The sustainable guidelines that formed the basis of the design were the City of Sydney Sustainable Design Technical Guidelines, SINSW Educational Facilities Standards and Guidelines and the Green Star Design & As-Built v1.3 guidelines (5-Star certification). As part of the consulting works, NDY prepared the Green Star pathway for the project to achieve a 5-Star rating, held a climate adaptation workshop and developed a climate adaptation plan for the project. NDY also coordinated with the design team to ensure that the desired sustainability outcomes for the project were being achieved in design in line with the agreed standards and guidelines.

In addition, NDY completed detailed modelling for the project including passive design assessment during early concept design phase to improve the passive elements of the building including increasing shading, reducing window to wall ratios and reducing solar gains into the building. This included Green Star energy, thermal comfort, daylight and glare modelling for the project demonstrating that the design meets the criteria for all of these Green Star credits.

NDY’s methodology for all projects is consistent and involves early and regular engagement with stakeholders and the design team to constantly refine sustainability targets and ensure that the project is on track to achieve them, whilst communicating the status of the project’s sustainability goals to the wider project team.