Adelaide's GPO Exchange office building is the first WELL-certified project in South Australia
A state-of-the-art office complex in Adelaide’s CBD has become the first project in the state to be given a top international certification that measures the health and wellness features of a building.
GPO Exchange – a 20-storey tower that includes the restored heritage-listed Telephone Exchange building comprising a total of 24,700 square metres of office space – was awarded a Gold WELL Certification by the International WELL Building Institute. There are four levels of WELL Certification – bronze, silver, gold and platinum.
This comes as Australian companies are starting to pay more attention to the health of their workers, something that the pandemic has highlighted.
The Adelaide building is one of the most innovative and technologically advanced smart buildings in Australia, according to landlord Charter Hall, with security access via smartphone, “club style” end-of-trip facilities and electric vehicle charging stations among its many features.
To be eligible for the gold WELL rating, the building was upgraded with a suite of features, including the use of non-toxic cleaning materials, ongoing testing of the building’s water quality, and food policies that require nutritional information to be provided to occupants.
“GPO Exchange is raising the bar for commercial sustainability in South Australia and has set a new benchmark for workplaces in this state. This incredible milestone is recognition of that,” said Charter Hall’s development executive George Roussos.
As well as the WELL Certification, the building has been awarded a 5.5-Star NABERS Energy rating, a 5-Star NABERS Water rating and a 5-Star NABERS Indoor Environment rating.
