Architects: studio505
Photographs: Ben Hosking, John Gollings
City: Melbourne
Country: Australia
Pixel, designed by studio505, is Australia’s first carbon-neutral office building located on the former CUB Brewery site in Melbourne. Completed as part of a larger urban development, this small but highly ambitious project earned a perfect score of 105 under the Greenstar rating system, exceeding the 6 Star benchmark. Pixel integrates advanced environmental systems, including water self-sufficiency and carbon neutrality. Its colorful, dynamic façade features perimeter planters, shading louvers, double-glazed windows, and solar panels. Pixel is also being assessed under the US LEED and UK BREEAM systems, aiming to set a new global standard in sustainable design.
The former CUB Brewery site has become the focus of one of Melbourne’s most notable and ambitious developments. Situated at a key urban location, the project has sparked extensive discussion and speculation, ultimately leading to the multi-faceted and collaborative scheme currently in progress.
studio505 was commissioned by Grocon to design the Development Office, known as Pixel, the last building conceived for the site but the first to be constructed. Despite its small size, Pixel carries the largest expectations, standing out as both the smallest structure on the site and the most ambitious in terms of sustainability and innovation.
The brief for Pixel was to create a 6 Star Greenstar Carbon Neutral space for the Development team and Sales Offices, along with a display suite and a green rooftop viewing area, to be used throughout the construction and sales phase of the overall development.
Behind this functional program lies an opportunity to boost Grocon’s Greenstar credentials by delivering a cost-effective, exemplary building that sets the standard for future projects on the site. studio505 designed a simple, coherent office building, integrated with advanced environmental systems. In collaboration with Umow Lai, studio505 aimed to achieve the highest possible ESD (Environmentally Sustainable Design) performance, creating a building that aligns with the broader architectural and sustainability goals of the entire development.
Pixel incorporates one of the most advanced water treatment and utilization systems ever constructed. Designed to be water-balanced, the building can sustain its own water supply if Melbourne maintains the ten-year average rainfall from 1999-2009. The design goes beyond simply showcasing environmental technologies; it serves as a laboratory of interconnected, symbiotic systems. These range from an expansive green roof that captures rainwater to the perimeter planters on the balcony. A standout feature is Pixel’s visually striking façade, which combines perimeter planters, fixed shading louvers, double-glazed windows, and solar panels. studio505 crafted a complex yet cohesive patterning system that introduces a human-scale flow of textures, allowing the building’s different elevations, functional elements, and sustainability features to be seamlessly integrated into a fluid, unified design.
studio505 aimed to ensure that Pixel integrates with the low-rise character of the northern end of the Brewery site. By manipulating scale, façade design, shading, and patterning, Pixel’s design reflects and accommodates the significant urban transformation expected to unfold on the site in the coming years.
Pixel achieved a perfect score of 100 under the Greenstar rating system, surpassing the 75-point benchmark for 6 Star Greenstar certification. An additional five points were awarded for innovation, elevating it to world leadership status. These innovation points recognized features such as carbon neutrality, a vacuum toilet system, anaerobic digestion, and reduced car parking. Pixel is also being assessed under the USA LEED and UK BREEAM rating systems, with the goal of surpassing the highest scores ever recorded in both systems.
Situated on the former CUB Brewery site, Pixel stands as one of Melbourne’s most significant and ambitious projects. With a perfect score of 105 Greenstar points, it is Australia’s first carbon-neutral office building, capable of generating all its own power and water on-site.
Pixel’s most visually striking feature is its colorful façade, which incorporates Living Edge perimeter planters, fixed shading louvers, double-glazed windows, and solar panel shading. This system creates a harmonious surface that wraps around the building, giving Pixel a vibrant and distinctive identity.
Pixel aims to achieve the highest environmental rating ever for buildings under the US LEED, UK BREEAM, and Australian Greenstar rating systems. For context, with around 740,000 buildings registered worldwide under these three schemes, Pixel seeks to position itself at the forefront of global sustainability.
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Project Location
Address: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
