CHARTER HALL
One of Sydney’s oldest buildings, No. 1 Martin Place has come a long way since its fomation in the 1800s.
Most recently, the building’s mezzanine and lobby have undergone a sustainable transformation, courtesy of its owner, Charter Hall, in partnership with Adriano Pupilli Architects and Mia Feesey from Siren Design.
The space has been reimagined through a cocreation process with the tenants, who wanted a renovation that would respect the history of the site while also moving towards a more modern way of working.
THE REDESIGN
Key features of the redesign include:
• A ground-to-mezzanine media wall
• Flexible furniture arrangements and bespoke innovation spaces
• An elegant new staircase linking the lobby and mezzanine levels
• A new architectural ceiling
Most importantly, the space has received a sustainable upgrade. The building now has strong energy efficiency ratings, achieving a 4.5-Star NABERS Rating, a 3.5-Star NABERS Water Rating and a 6-Star NABERS Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Rating.
“This is a really strong performance when you consider the age of the building,” says Margot Black, head of sustainability and community at Charter Hall.
Not only does the building have strong environmental sustainability fundamentals, but it considers social sustainability and employee health as well.
“No. 1 Martin Place is where we launched the Charter Hall ‘Charli’ app, which gives tenants access to information on health and wellbeing services – such as our Wellness Wednesdays events and yoga classes – as well as full transparency on the building’s sustainable information,” says Black.
“In the mezzanine, we host different speakers who cover topics across all aspects of wellness, from mental to physical health and nutritional wellbeing. The mezzanine is also home to Portal, a social enterprise café that provides an employment program for migrants and disadvantaged people in the hospitality industry. Their profits also go towards charities associated with supporting children, education and the environment.”
Home to Charter Hall’s head office, No. 1 Martin Place is the site for the developer’s sustainability pilots. For example, the company is currently investigating solar opportunities for the building.
“With buildings of this nature, solar is always going to be a challenge because of a limited rooftop area, but we have seen benefits of solar on other buildings in our portfolio and continue to explore the opportunity,” says Black.
“We’re also about to start an e-waste initiative, providing the tenant community with ways to address their operational waste needs – i.e. removing computers and mobile phones – sustainably.”
THE CO-CREATION PROCESS
According to Trent James, Charter Hall’s fund manager for No. 1 Martin Place, the project began on a standard design and development path, but listening to the feedback of future tenants took it in an entirely different direction. “Like many tenants, they wanted a food and
beverage offering and a space with plenty of light, but they also wanted to bring the unique energy outside in Martin Place into the building as well,” he says.
“We did this by creating ‘The Meeting
Place at No. 1 Martin Place’ … a collaborative, open and vibrant space at the entrance to the building for tenants.”
“Tenants asked for a space that could be used in many different ways – hence we introduced relocatable furniture and ensured there were charging stations and power outlets throughout for working on the go.”
“Tenants also wanted a sense of community, so we collaborated with Project 504 to champion great Australian artists in an art gallery space and partnered with a social enterprise food and beverage operator. Ultimately, the finished space is a lot more playful than it would otherwise be if we hadn’t held these workshops with the tenants throughout the building’s creation.”
MARTIN PLACE IS CHANGING
While it has historically been known as Sydney’s banking and finance precinct, the face of Martin Place is changing, evolving into more of a technology and innovation precinct.
“No. 1 Martin Place is a great example of how older buildings can be repurposed sustainably,” says James.
“The original building had flexibility and a strong foundation we could build upon to adapt it to the changing tenant demographic of the area.”
“When we were working on the project, we were conscious of not changing the plans too much, instead focusing on improving interconnectivity between floors and upgrading technology capabilities and functions. The philosophy was to bring the outside in, while playing with scale/proportion to maximise the double height space.”
“Ultimately, we have co-created a place to linger, be inspired, and meet the neighbours – all complemented by dynamic public and private zones. We wanted to articulate the lively energy permeating from the streets below, and as such dead spaces naturally became nooks for larger gatherings; thoroughfares became spaces for people to order coffee, have a quick bite or tap out an email – all whilst overlooking and linking back to life on the street.”
“So with this development, the old has been revitalised for a new generation. Technology is now at the centre of town, and No.1 Martin Place reflects that.”
A BROADER SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY
A difficult feat for a developer, Charter Hall is embarking on a serious sustainability journey. The company has just refreshed its sustainability plan, creating a strategy that focuses on environmental, social, community and economic factors.
Essentially, this strategy includes:
• Environment: How the company can be more efficient with energy, carbon, water and waste
• Social: Improving engagement and inclusion with the broader communities in which the company operates, including a health and wellbeing focus
• Governance: Maintaining and building on business ethics and compliance, as well as building a responsible and sustainable supply chain.
“We are also very proud to be targeting 100 percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, within our operational control, coming from our buildings,” says Black.
“This means that we are making our buildings more energy efficient and investigating renewable energy to meet these targets.”