Building a Greener Future

The ‘material bank’ catalogues building materials so they can be identified, re-certified, and re-used in a new building, at the end of the building’s life. Structural materials such as steel beams, pre-cast concrete panels, cladding and solar panels, typically recycled into low-grade materials, can now be directly re-used.

The construction industry contributes 37% of all global greenhouse gas emissions according to the United Nations Environment Programme, most of which occurs in the mining and processing of materials into construction products, however the material bank will reduce these emissions and contributes to Australia’s growing circular economy.

Following a submission by Kennett, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) developed a Green Star Leadership Challenge to incentivise the 1200 registered building projects across the country currently seeking a Green Star rating to set up or work with other material banks.

Uniting on Second, a $37 million affordable housing development at Bowden, South Australia, by UnitingSA, Renewal SA and Kennett as a consortium, is the first project to participate in the material bank. The building is registered with the GBCA and is targeting a 5-Star Green Star rating for sustainable building.

Kennett General Manager, Anthony Carbone, is leading the material bank initiative.

“Efficient structural design, modular design and green concrete are some of the common ways to reduce greenhouse emissions in construction, however, Kennett’s material bank goes to the root cause of emissions to make the largest impact,” Mr Carbone said.

“In construction, raw materials are mined from the earth and manufactured into building materials, which is when the most emissions are created, then they’re demolished and put into landfill, or re-manufactured into low-grade materials, when a building reaches the end of its lifespan. Kennett’s material bank will see building materials continue in an upcycled state and be re-certified and reused in new buildings.

“With the cost of construction increasing by as much as 50% in recent times, the material bank also provides long-term cost savings by reducing the quantity of materials being purchased.”

Anthony says Kennett is eager to share the material bank strategy with the wider industry.

“This major environmental initiative is part of Scott and James Kennett’s commitment to building better and being progressive in our approach to projects,” he said.

“Long-term, we would like to see a Federally-funded material bank administered at a national level, that’s accessible to all.

“As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, rolling out a national material bank would be a significant step towards achieving Australia’s emissions reduction target.

“There is currently no other strategy available, across any industry, that will be as effective as a material bank at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Kennett has partnered with the University of Adelaide, for research support, and sustainability consultants dsquared Consulting, for technical input, to assist in developing the material bank initiative.

South Australian Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion, said “the material bank is a great initiative to make developments more sustainable”.

“The State Government is supportive of sustainable building practices which keep costs down and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill,” Mr Champion said.

“Kennett is a leading local company helping deliver important South Australian Government housing projects.”

Taryn Cornell, Senior Manager Strategy & Development at the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), commended the initiative.

“Material banks can be a game-changer for the construction industry by facilitating the direct reuse of materials,” she said. “This approach aligns with the principles of a circular economy and we look forward to seeing it contribute to Australia’s efforts in this area.”