Molonglo

Nishi is a cluster of highly mixed-use buildings, made up of office, hotel and cinema, and residential quarters.

The commercial building spans across 11 levels. At the time of construction, it set a new benchmark for office buildings in Australia: one of the highest-scoring Green Star office buildings in Australia and one of only three to achieve a 6-Star Green Star rating in the Australian Capital Territory. Nishi is exemplary in that it has 6-Star Green Star ratings for both design and construction. The 6-Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) represents ‘world leadership’ in sustainable design and construction. The 6-Star Green Star rating for design supports the building’s operating efficiency, currently achieving 5.5 Star NABERS Energy rating and 5.0 Star NABERS Water rating.

The building’s design is configured to work as passively as possible using natural ventilation to cool the building and provide fresh air to occupants while reducing energy consumption. It is wrapped in more than 40 kilometres of louvres made from sustainable Australian blackbutt timber sourced from managed forests in New South Wales. The louvres represent a step-change in the use of low embodied energy materials, which manage unwanted solar gain and heat. The louvres also incorporate 90 planter boxes planted with low water plant species. The commercial building’s roof is fitted with 400kVA of solar panels, at the time this was the largest solar array of any office building in Australia.

The office floor plates are flexible and can be divided with two lift banks allowing a secure private entrance to suit the specific security requirements of Government and corporate tenants, while still offering the option for multiple tenancies.

A grand stair connects the commercial entrance to the hotel above it — a geometric explosion of more than 2,250 timber pieces salvaged from the Nishi building site itself, a basketball court and a house.