Pixel Building
(Pixel Building)
Traditional Custodians of the land
Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation
Location
Melbourne
Australia
Completion Date
July 2010
(About)
Located on a key urban site at the former CUB Brewery, Pixel is one of Melbourne and Australia’s most significant and ambitious projects. Scoring a perfect 105 Green Star points and 105 LEED points, Pixel is Australia’s first carbon neutral office building, generating all its own power and water on site.
(Future Office)
Pixel is a ‘Future Office’ – a prototype of the commercial buildings that will emerge when a carbon constrained environment demands a greater focus on energy efficiency. As a prototype, it enables an analysis of the ongoing implications of new technologies in the commercial building sector.
(Green Credentials)
Pixel radically pushed the boundaries of what is achievable in a Green Building. Many new sustainable building technologies were implemented, including a complex water capturing system, solar and wind harnessing, thermal cooling, water usage reduction through
vacuum toilets, anaerobic digester to reduce waste from toilets and Pixelcrete, a specially designed concrete that contains half the embodied carbon of conventional concrete for the same structural properties.
(Facade)
A complex and colourful facade wraps the western and northern sides of the building, giving Pixel its iconic identity. A simple but intricate assembly of zero waste, recycled colour panels providing maximised daylight, shade, views and glare control.
The panels are supported by the Living Edge spandrels which create shading and grey water treatment as well as providing immediate personal greenery to every office floor. The facade wraps continuously around Pixel creating a vibrant and unique identity.
(Green Roof)
Furthering its green ambitions, Pixel’s rooftop is clad with fixed and tracking photovoltaic panels, vertical wind turbines and an extensive green roof.
Pixel has been designed to capture, filter and process rain water via its green roof and water storage systems. This volume of water, based on Melbourne’s annual average rainfall, would be sufficient for all the non-potable requirements of the building.
(Water System)
An innovative greywater system allows Pixel to utilise rain collection to meet the demands of the buildings non-potable water requirements. Rainwater is collected on the green roof, passes through a rainwater filtration and osmosis treatment plant and supplies the buildings vacuum toilets, basins and showers. Greywater from these units then passes through reed beds that provide passive greywater treatment.
