Kennett – a 110 year old, family owned builder – has become Australia’s first construction company to open a ‘material bank’ of building resources that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the cost of future buildings.
UnitingSA is pleased to be behind one of the first projects to participate in the material bank. The initiative aligns with Uniting SA’s commitment to creating sustainable, vibrant communities and protecting the environment for future generations.
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.
Uniting on Second will deliver 70 affordable apartments for South Australians on low to moderate incomes. 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.
“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.”