Taking Green Star ratings to the next level at Country Road Ballarat

Four years ago, we were one of the close collaborators to help Country Road achieve the first stand-alone 5-star green star fashion retail store in Australia (that’s a mouthful). You can get the lowdown on that project here: How Lighting Helped Country Road Achieve an Australian First with Green Star

But if you’re landing here for the first time, you might be thinking, ‘Sounds cool, but what is Green Star?’ – well we are glad you asked. It’s a great rating system for different aspects of sustainable-focused building. This project relates to Green Star – Interiors. This rates the sustainable design and construction of any building fitout works. The Interiors rating tool aims to assist clients and project teams to objectively rate their projects and achieve sustainability goals. And here is the super cool part, this retail project is the first that targets a 6-star Green Star rating. Currently, the ratings go to 5. It’s kind of like doing the 7-second abs but in 6 seconds – actually, it’s nothing like it but it’s just as game-changing and super ace.

You can learn more about the importance of Green Star Interiors ratings here at the Green Building Council Australia. The building itself is absolutely incredible, originally erected as a brick two storey bank building dating back to 1872, the building was extensively remodelled and extended in 1978 with concrete construction. Because it was a heritage building, a few items had to be taken into consideration when illuminating it. The track had to be mounted off the walls. The H Track features Andro M with a narrow beam, with the engineered Andro range to help reduce the light output.

Other applications of luminaires include spots under awnings, the trusty kit mini doing its thang in the fit rooms, Bendable Serenade from the Australian-made Symphony Range feature in archways and in the ceiling to up light the arches above. And speaking of that ceiling – how awesome is it?