Our Acton campus is situated in a bushland setting, and the design and construction of the built environment must consider this. Buildings and green spaces need to work in unison with their surrounding area to create a harmonious built and natural campus environment. We manage over two hundred buildings on the Acton campus with a diverse and complex building stock. Optimising the functionality of the built environment is a significant factor in reducing environmental impacts.
Buildings
Image: The Australian National University
Our approach
Our goal is to enhance the sustainability of our built environment by reducing our operating footprint by 10% by 2028. Our Space Planning and Design Team help us improve how we use our facilities across campus, and prioritise efficient design and thoughtful space planning in our operations. As they work collaboratively with areas across the University to negotiate suitable outcomes, they continue to assist in reducing our environmental footprint, conserve resources and foster a culture of sustainability across our community.
Our targets
- Introduce an occupancy target for allocated space, coupled with an office space allocation hierarchy based on staff role classification.
- Improve Acton campus space utilisation by identifying and implementing opportunities that exist around space consolidation.
- Draft and implement a campus-wide space policy Support the project delivery of the ANU Green Connect initiative by providing space data
Our progress
Space management
- The Team have completed a space audit that commenced at the end of 2023 to update University records. This audit has helped identify areas that are over or under capacity, thereby identifying opportunities for space consolidation. Data collected will also be used to support the formation of a campus-wide space policy.
- The Team has also engaged with GO9 space management teams to better understand policies and procedures, which will aid the development of an ANU space management plan.
- In 2023 we completed a space utilisation study across multiple College of Health and Medicine buildings over a three-week period. This study provided valuable insights into how office spaces are used and improvements that can be incorporated into office relocations throughout 2024.
- Throughout 2024 work has been underway to better understand space use in several buildings to identify opportunities for better use of high-grade office space on campus and move away from dated, inefficient areas.
Campus Building Requirements Manual
Our Campus Building Requirements Manual has been reviewed and updated to align with the University’s environmental sustainability commitments.
Community engagement
The Environmental Sustainability team is developing a program (ANU Green Connect) to engage with building custodians and identify opportunities for improvements that support our sustainability commitments. This program of work aims to empower building custodians and occupants to reduce their environmental impacts and improve efficiencies across campus. The work program is planned to commence in November 2024.