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13 November 2007
Delfin Lend Lease and Opus Capital make Varsity Lakes home to the Gold Coast's first "green" building
The sod turning ceremony will be officiated by Margaret May MP on Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at 9:30am.
“Aspect”, which will be the fourth commercial building developed by Delfin Lend Lease in Varsity Lakes, has been designed to achieve 4-star Green Star and 4.5 Australian Building Greenhouse energy efficiency ratings.
Varsity Lakes Senior Project Director, Carl Bruhn, said “Aspect” will be the first commercial building on the Gold Coast to obtain such ratings.
“Delfin Lend Lease have worked in collaboration with the owner of “Aspect”, the Brisbane-based boutique property fund manager Opus Capital Group, to achieve a market driven building that represents where the future of commercial developments is placed,” Mr Bruhn said.
“Delfin Lend Lease in conjunction with Opus Capital Group are keen to support this sustainable initiative as research has shown that commercial buildings have a significant impact on the environment, producing approximately 40% of Australia’s greenhouse emissions.”
Both Green Star and the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme are voluntary environmental rating measures that evaluate the environmental design and architectural achievements of buildings.
Opus Co-Chairman, Steven Goakes, said the “greening” of the Opus property portfolio was a key initiative of the Opus Capital Group.
“Sustainability measures will become more important for both tenants and building owners in the future, and we are delighted to be adding “Aspect” to our portfolio,” he said.
Acquired for approximately $19 million in August this year, “Aspect” is part of Opus Capital’s flagship fund, Opus Income & Capital Fund No. 21, which owns assets valued at around $200 million.
The building is being constructed by local Gold Coast builder Glenzeil, with the completion date estimated to be by September 2008.
Varsity Central, anchored by the nearby Bond University and close to the Robina Town Centre, has already attracted a who’s who of business leaders including IBM, AAPT, Minter Ellison, gotalk, AON Insurance and Gold Coast City Council Engineering Services Division.
Senior Project Director Carl Bruhn also said that Margaret May, the Federal Member for McPherson, was the ideal person to officiate construction as she was a key driver in appointing the Small Business Officer to the Area Consultative Committee (ACC) within Varsity Central which assists businesses on the Southern Gold Coast.
“The ACC is an initiative focused on driving growth in the business economy, generating jobs and the attraction of new investment,” Mr Bruhn said.
Delfin Lend Lease will oversee the leasing of Aspect via sole co-ordinating agents Colliers.
Varsity Lakes was crowned one of Australia’s Best Communities in March 2007 by the Urban Development Institute of Australia, winning the UDIA President’s Award.
Upon completion Varsity Lakes will comprise 3,000 homes, more than 343 hectares and up to 150,000sqm of commercial space in town centre Varsity Central. It will become home to 7,800 residents and 4,500 employees.
Varsity Lakes is being developed by Delfin Lend Lease, Australia’s largest developer of masterplanned communities, with more then 20 communities across Australia.media
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