Australia’s First Carbon Neutral Building

Melbourne-based architects practice Studio 505 has just completed Australia’s first carbon-neutral building – the completely self-sustainable Pixel office.

Carbon-neutral status (having a greenhouse gas emission of net zero) has been achieved by incorporating an on-site energy station. Pixel collects its own rainwater, and based on the area’s accurate rainfall average could potentially collect enough to be completely disconnected from the mains supply.

Fumes from the heating and cooling systems are captured and cooled before being released into the environment, reducing overall energy usage. A new type of concrete, which has the capacity to remove carbon from the air, has also been used in the building. And the office is also in the final design stages of incorporating on-site wind turbines.

The Pixel building aims to achieve the highest Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings in the world, as well as all five categories of Australia’s Greenstar V3 rating system.

Pixel Building

Studio 505