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Civic Quarter – ACT

Project Overview

The twelve storey CQ Civic Quarter building offers 15,917m2 of office accommodation at the heart of Northbourne Avenue, Canberra and achieved a 5-Star NABERS Energy Rating. ACOR worked alongside the client and the team to design and engineer the building services for the precinct.

Our Approach

The building includes a two storey Foyer that provides a Concierge, Business Centre, Lounge, Café, and access to upper floors. The rear service core includes destination control lifts, stairs, toilets, cleaner’s facilities, and services risers.

Office accommodation is provided in flexible rectangular floor plates on ten levels of approximately 1,500m2 per floor with additional roof top and mezzanine office accommodation. Office levels are modular with minimum columns and feature a cantilevered glass wall overlooking the adjacent Veteran’s Park.

Offices feature curtain wall glazing with low air-infiltration and high thermal resistance, while enhanced building insulation and high efficiency air-conditioning systems work together to improve the climate inside and out.

Small HVAC zones enable systems to dynamically adjust for ideal thermal conditions, while filtration systems maximise air quality. Augmented mobile phone reception and wireless access is enabled throughout the building keep occupants connected.

A range of sustainability features have been deployed including rooftop solar panels, water retention systems and high efficiency fixtures.

Our Impact

The project incorporated intelligent building initiatives to achieve a 5-Star NABERS Energy Rating.

These include:

  • Management and Tenants are provided with regular energy performance and occupancy data through the automated reporting of the Building Services Network.
  • Communications pathways have been implemented to support in-building fibre optic networks
  • Generous risers used to facilitate enhanced ICT capability both now and into the future.
  • Adaptable HVAC, Electrical and Communications infrastructure to support Tenant fit out flexibility
  • Base building infrastructure has been designed to accommodate future changes in workplace trends
  • Security of services through back-up power supply, and redundancy in HVAC plant
  • Abundant natural light with solar protection to the eastern, northern and western facades
  • Small HVAC system zones dynamically adjusting to provide uniform thermal conditions
  • High performance ventilation
  • High efficiency fittings and fixtures, water collection and re-use for landscape irrigation and HVAC
  • Electric Vehicle Charging points
  • PV Solar array to roof

The Client

Amalgamated Property Group

The Team

May & Russell Architects
Cox Architecture

Service Provided:

Key Facts

  • The Canberra Civic Quarter was awarded a Commendation in the Commercial Architecture category at the 2020 ACT Architecture Awards.
  • The building achieved a 5-Star NABERS Energy Rating
  • Initiatives have been optimised, from construction to completion and beyond, to minimise waste and recycle wherever possible

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