Building a sense of wellbeing
GEELONG’S business community shares a collective vision to revitalise our city into a major economic and innovation hub.
It is not new — we live and breathe it every day. But if you build it, will businesses come? More importantly, will workers?
If the building of WorkSafe Victoria’s headquarters at 1 Malop St in central Geelong is anything to go by, the answer is yes.
It is recognised that the office towers of tomorrow have a significant role in engaging, inspiring and nurturing the workers within them, and in doing so support their performance.
What drives, transforms and sustains an economy is people. Therefore investment, construction and infrastructure in Geelong’s business, government and community sector is only as successful as its ability to attract, retain and inspire human capital.
The revitalisation of 1 Malop St at the old Dalgety & Co Ltd building is proving to be a shining example of one of Australia’s healthiest and most sustainable workspaces.
Developed by Quintessential Equity and constructed by Built, it is the first building in Australia to be awarded a WELL Gold Pre-certification by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in both the Core and Shell (Gold), and New and Existing Interiors (Gold) categories.
WELL is an independently verified, performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features of buildings that impact human health and wellbeing and is the first building standard to focus exclusively on human health and wellness.
The ‘Turquoise Economy’ idea featured in the Committee for Geelong’s Winning from Second report encourages the city to consider environmentalism as an opportunity for innovation, production and job growth. It is therefore pleasing to see 1 Malop St lead in this area.
With WELL certification and its benefits gaining more awareness in Australia, Built has invested in the training and development of its own inhouse WELL Accredited Professional to assist clients such as Quintessential Equity and WorkSafe Victoria with certification.
Some of the design elements that have contributed to 1 Malop St’s pre-certification include:
LOW toxicity finishes, high-grade air filters and purging and replacing the air prior to occupation to release any residual off-gases and potential airborne contaminants from construction;
ABUNDANCE of natural light and selected light fittings to minimise disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm and avoid eye strain and associated headaches; and
CONNECTION to nature and place with multiple open and communal spaces, a rooftop terrace and more than 2000 indoor plants selected for their ability to absorb contaminants from the air around the office.
1 Malop St will house more than 700 WorkSafe employees, with many relocating to Geelong from Melbourne, drawn not only by employment, but also by their workplace’s design and benefits.
Given that the typical office worker spends 90 per cent of the day indoors, it is important for Geelong’s business community to consider the lead taken at 1 Malop St. There is evidence showing that investing in employee health and wellbeing through the work environment can provide a real return on investment and productivity.
This is a world-class office building with market-leading environmental credentials and amazing tenant amenity. Through this project, Geelong is demonstrating its capacity to develop as a hub of excellence for major organisations with white-collar workforces.
The completion of this project is another step towards Geelong’s transformation from a manufacturing stronghold to a knowledge and skillsbased economy. Rebecca Casson is the Committee for Geelong CEO. Twitter: @Comm4Geelong.