In early 2017 With_Architecture Studio became the first architecture practice in Australia to be certified carbon neutral against the National Carbon Offset Standard after a three year process.

In early 2017 we broke new ground for the architecture profession by becoming the first practice in Australia to be certified carbon neutral after a three year process. The certification occurs under the National Carbon Offset Standard, which is a rigorous and transparent framework supported by international standards, tailored to an Australian context.

The overarching Carbon Neutral Program certifies organisations, products and services as carbon neutral against the Standard. To be carbon neutral, an organisation must measure emissions, reduce these where possible, offset remaining emissions and report on their carbon neutrality. We began to monitor its resource consumption in 2014, tracking improvements and aiming to become Carbon Neutral in 2017. All parts of the practice’s operations are included in the Carbon Neutral Certification, and are in accordance with the following standards:

– National Carbon Offset Standard v3.0
– The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (Revised Edition)
– National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008

We began the certification process by measuring its carbon consumption and putting carbon reduction initiatives in place, including recycling and printing policies. Phased-out IT equipment was donated to a Rotary Club initiative supporting the Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penn, with all other e-waste being recycled with Tech Collect. Energy consumption was reduced by 9% from FY15 to FY16 and paper consumption by 18%. We are continuing to make improvements and saw a 19% reduction in electricity consumption during 16/17 compared to 14/15 alone.

Funds from an offset programme support the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor – a multi-species native reforestation project in Southwest Australia. The reforestation programme removes 1.257 million tonnes of carbon in a region where over 90% of the woodland has been cleared. The Yarra Yarra reforestation is focused on rejuvenating degraded, semi-arid agricultural land that no longer supports viable farming practices, with the goal of restoring the project landscape to its natural condition of vegetation. This project also removes existing carbon from the atmosphere to recreate a healthy and functioning landscape, restored after decades of habitat loss and degradation. This is a legacy project that strives to ensure the land is continually nurtured and improved. (Visit carbonneutral.com.au for more information)

Along with our carbon neutral certification, other achievement have been being awarded the first Green Star Multi-Unit Residential rating in Australia (4 Star) by the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) for The Summer. All recent education projects have achieved a 4 Star Green Star rating equivalent. The Greater Curtin Masterplan, for which we were the urban design and built-form consultants, was the first project in Australia to receive a 5 Star Green Star Communities rating.

Our sustainability commitments are integral to our QA and management systems ensuring their full implementation through every level of the business.