Carbon performance rating system for Victoria Cross Retail Precinct

Lendlease

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Retail

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Decarbonisation Advisory

Carbon performance rating system for Victoria Cross Retail Precinct

This Lendlease project is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint and energy consumption throughout every phase of the tenancy lifecycle—construction, operation, and end of life.

The Victoria Cross Retail Precinct is located above the Victoria Cross metro station with 21 new retail and hospitality brands across 2,440sqm at completion in 2026 (currently 14 retailers open in Stage 1). To realise their vision, Lendlease rolled out a comprehensive carbon performance rating program, tailored for retail fitouts. This initiative not only assesses both operating and upfront carbon emissions of materials, but also leverages the Lendlease tenancy fitout calculator tool, developed by TSA Riley. This program is a testament to Lendlease’s unwavering commitment to achieving Absolute Zero emissions.

With sustainability at its core, Lendlease has set an overarching target for all its retail fitouts to achieve a minimum target of 20% reduction in operating energy and upfront embodied carbon. Lendlease is also targeting carbon neutral operations for this precinct. This approach not only offers potential energy cost savings but also promotes accountability and drives continuous improvement in carbon performance.

As part of the carbon star program, 14 fitout tenancies–spanning a variety of end-use types, including restaurants, café, burger joints, florists, and nail salons–have been successfully assessed from the concept design to the approved for the construction stage.

All the tenancies achieve the coveted Lendlease 4-Star performance target. These collective efforts have resulted in the following:

- Upfront embodied carbon reduction of 62 tCO2-e
- Operating carbon reduction of 82 tCO2-e over a five-year lease period

Key carbon reduction strategies implemented

Achieving significant reductions in upfront embodied carbon and operational carbon by clearly identifying carbon reduction strategies for all tenancy fitouts at early concept and feasibility design stage and mitigating emissions through thorough consistent co-ordination with the retail design team and the tenancy designer, thereby contributing to Lendlease's broader carbon neutral objectives.

Through the concept design fitout assessments, equipment with a higher carbon footprint were identified and replaced. This included the following key moves across all tenancies (with a few exceptions), transitioning away from gas-powered systems; optimising equipment sizes wherever feasible; and decreasing display lighting usage.

Various design strategies were implemented to minimise the upfront embodied carbon footprint of tenancy fitouts. The following design strategies were adopted across the fitout tenancies: replacing of back-of-house tiled floors with vinyl or epoxy in 14 out of 15 tenancies; using alternative materials for front-of-house wall tiles such as tinted acrylic, printed plywood, EGGER laminates, and painted graffiti; utilising exposed ceilings wherever feasible.

The carbon star program for Lendlease and its retail precincts serves as a model for sustainable tenancy fitouts, demonstrating the significant role retail tenancies play in advancing Lendlease’s Mission Zero by 2050. This program offers valuable insights for developers to incorporate into in their commercial projects, fostering sustainable, energy-efficient environments that not only reduce carbon emissions but also enhance the overall value and appeal of retail spaces.

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