The Council House 2 (CH2) office building was designed in collaboration with City of Melbourne to be a holistic system with its occupants as participants. The design follows a model that promotes a more interactive role between the city and nature, in which all parties depend on each other.
Photography by © Dianna Snape
The City of Melbourne aims to achieve zero emissions for the municipality by 2020. A major contribution to this strategy is the reduction in energy consumption of commercial buildings by 50%. CH2 was piloted in an effort to provide a working example for the local development market. The brief required a building that as far as possible relied on passive energy systems while producing a premium grade building.
Photography by © Dianna Snape
CH2 employs both literal and metaphorical expressions of environmental intentions in its architectural composition. Nature is used as inspiration for façades that moderate climate, tapered ventilation ducts integrate with daylighting strategies and an evocative undulating concrete floor structure that plays a central role in the building’s heating and cooling.
Photography by © Dianna Snape
It was the first new commercial office building in Australia to meet and exceed the six-star rating system administered by the Green Building Council of Australia. Equally important to its environmental features is that it provides 100% fresh air to all occupants with one complete air change every half hour. The benefits of superior indoor air quality and conservative estimates on energy costs will see the building pay for all its innovation within five to ten years.
Photography by © Dianna Snape
Project Info:
Architects: DesignInc
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Project Team: Rob Adams (Project Director -City of Melbourne), Mick Pearce (Design Director), Stephen Webb (Design Architect), Chris Thorne (Design Architect), Jean-Claude Bertoni (Project Architect), Vi Vuong (Architect), Aldona Pajdak (Interior Designer)
Consultant Team: Hansen Yuncken (Builder), Bonacci Group (Structural / Civil Consultant), Lincolne Scott (Services Consultant), Marshall Day (Acoustics Consultant), Advanced Environmental Concepts (Environmental Consultant), Donald Cant Watts Corke (Quantity Surveyor), City of Melbourne (Landscape Consultant)
Client: City of Melbourne
Constructions Value: $51M
Area: 12500.0 sqm
Type: Office building
Photographs: Dianna Snape, David Hannah
Hadeer Shahin is the Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, where she curates innovative architectural works from around the globe. With a background in architecture from Alexandria University and hands-on experience in design and digital content, she bridges the gap between technical precision and editorial vision. Hadeer’s keen eye for spatial storytelling and her passion for contemporary design trends make her a vital contributor to Arch2O’s mission of highlighting excellence in the built environment.