Media House a winner from all angles

FAIRFAX'S Media House has won the 'gold logie' of the property industry, the Australian Development of the Year Award, at the 2012 Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards.

By InvestSMART · 28 May 2012

By InvestSMART ·
28 May 2012

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The five-star Green Star development, located at the edge of Melbourne's Docklands, houses The Age newspaper, The Australian Financial Review and 3AW and was completed in 2009. It is owned by Commonwealth Property Office Fund and was nominated by Grocon.

Media House, which beat 101 contenders from around the country to claim the main award, also won the Colliers International Award for Best Office Development and the Project Control Group Award for Best Workplace Project.

Other Victorian winners include Stable Group's Triptych, the Village Building Award for Best Residential Development Lend Lease's Martha's Point, the Gadens Lawyers Award for Retirement Living Development Pixel by Grocon, the Nepean Award for Innovation and Davis Langdon's Michael Skelton took out the Judd Farris Award for Future Leader.

Property Council of Australia chief operating officer Ken Morrison said Media House was an outstanding showcase of what Australia's property industry could produce, achieving benchmarks in innovation and sustainability.

Media House's project team included Bates Smart, Fulcrum Town Planners, Norman Disney & Young, RLB, and emerystudio.

The judges said Triptych, a 29-storey, $230 million building in Kavanagh Street, Southbank, raised the bar for innovation, art integration and sustainability.

It features a vertical wall garden provided by local company Fytogreen that contains plants that can thrive in the outdoor environment. The Green Wall has a fully integrated hydroponic watering system that supports the attached vegetated panels.

Triptych, developed by RI Investment Trust, is so named because it turns three distinct facades to the street. The 157-apartment building was designed by architects Nettleton Tribe with input from Carr Design, James Durie's Patio landscapers and Australian artist Robert Owen. Environmental engineers Cundall oversaw the "green" theme.

Grocon's Pixel on the old CUB site in Carlton has a world-class sustainability rating. The building's sustainability measures include extensive use of rainwater, a green roof with wetland edges, double-glazed windows with external shade panels that block heat and glare, an under-floor air distribution system, wind turbines, and solar panels that track the sun.

A key ingredient is also "green" concrete a product that the Grocon team, working with Boral Concrete, created that uses 60 per cent less cement and 100 per cent recycled and reclaimed aggregate.

Mr Skelton is global business intelligence manager for Davis Langdon and leads teams in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

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Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…

What is Fairfax’s Media House and why did it win the Australian Development of the Year award?

Fairfax’s Media House is a five‑star Green Star office development on the edge of Melbourne’s Docklands that houses The Age, The Australian Financial Review and radio station 3AW. Completed in 2009, it beat about 101 contenders to win the 2012 Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Australian Development of the Year Award, with judges praising its innovation, sustainability and workplace design. It also picked up awards for Best Office Development and Best Workplace Project.

Who owns Media House and which companies were involved in the project team?

Media House is owned by the Commonwealth Property Office Fund and was nominated by Grocon. The project team listed in the article includes architects and consultants such as Bates Smart, Fulcrum Town Planners, Norman Disney & Young, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) and emerystudio.

Which media tenants operate from Media House?

The building houses major Australian media outlets: The Age newspaper, The Australian Financial Review and Melbourne radio station 3AW.

What sustainability credentials does Media House have that matter to investors?

Media House holds a five‑star Green Star rating, and judges highlighted it as a showcase for innovation and sustainability in Australia’s property industry—qualities that can support tenant attraction and long‑term asset quality.

What is Triptych in Southbank and what green features does it include?

Triptych is a 29‑storey, roughly $230 million residential building on Kavanagh Street in Southbank. The development features art integration and a vertical wall garden supplied by local company Fytogreen with an integrated hydroponic watering system. The 157‑apartment project involved architects Nettleton Tribe, landscape and design contributors and environmental engineers Cundall who oversaw its "green" theme.

What sustainability technologies and innovations make Grocon’s Pixel noteworthy?

Grocon’s Pixel, built on the old CUB site in Carlton, has a world‑class sustainability rating and includes extensive rainwater reuse, a green roof with wetland edges, double‑glazed windows with external shade panels, an under‑floor air distribution system, wind turbines and solar panels that track the sun. The project also used a "green" concrete developed with Boral Concrete that uses about 60% less cement and 100% recycled and reclaimed aggregate.

Which other Victorian projects and people were recognised at the same awards?

Other Victorian winners mentioned in the article include Triptych, Lend Lease’s Martha’s Point (the Village Building Award for Best Residential Development), Grocon’s Pixel and Michael Skelton of Davis Langdon, who won the Judd Farris Award for Future Leader.

Who is Michael Skelton and why did he receive recognition at the awards?

Michael Skelton is global business intelligence manager for Davis Langdon. The article notes he leads teams across Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East and was honoured with the Judd Farris Award for Future Leader at the Property Council awards.