PROPERTY NEWS
Leighton Contractors has won three prestigious awards within a few weeks for its efforts in environmental sustainability at its construction sites and offices. Leighton Contractors took out the Australian Business Award for Environmental Sustainability in its industry; the Premier’s Climate Smart Award for Industrial Eco-Efficiency; and an individual award for achievement in developing a sustainable environment from the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s (UDIA) Women in Development Awards.
Darren Weir, general manager, Leighton Contractors Northern Region, said the company was thrilled to receive this recognition for its environmental sustainability leadership. “We are very proud of this external endorsement of what we’ve been trying to achieve for the past several years, which is the enhancement, preservation and protection of the environment at construction sites and in our offices – everywhere we work,” he said. “We have a carefully considered and implemented strategy, including our Green Office and Site Resource Efficiency Programs, the Sustainable Business Program and Greenhouse Gas Abatement Plan. Together these plans are delivering significant and measurable outcomes for us in water preservation, waste reduction and energy efficiency.”
The company was chosen from 26 entrants as the winner of the Premier’s Climate Smart Award for Industrial Eco-Efficiency, while its Environmental Sustainability Coordinator in Queensland Samantha Hayes won the UDIA award. Along with its internal strategies, Leighton Contractors is also carving out a niche as the leading designer and constructor of sustainable buildings in Queensland, with Green Square Office Park and HQ (pictured above) examples of completed buildings using technology to enable environmental excellence.
Both contemporary buildings feature a range of greener alternatives to conventional buildings to minimise environmental impacts including rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing and irrigation, and technology such as gas fired cogeneration plants to produce electricity.
The company is also involved in the construction of three other projects which will target results in sustainability excellence: One One One Eagle Street, Queensland University of Technology’s Science and Technology Precinct and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s accommodation project at Southbank.
