The Sydney Opera House turned green yesterday after the building was awarded a 4 Star Green Star – Performance rating by the Green Building Council of Australia, making it one of only a few World Heritage buildings that have achieved green certification globally.

The 4 Star Green Star rating is awarded for ‘best practice’ in the industry. In Australia, about 340 million square metres of commercial and public building space needs upgrading, but a view that it's "too hard" to improve the sustainability of these buildings persists, said Romilly Madew, Chief Executive Officer of the Green Building Council of Australia. "The Sydney Opera House has laid down the gauntlet for the property industry with a pragmatic, practical approach which shows even the most iconic, historic and challenging buildings can be high-performing, energy efficient and sustainable. If you can green the Opera House, you can green anything," said Madew.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant said the Opera House endorsement sends a clear message that green buildings don't have to be new. "Even the most recognisable and historic landmarks can earn a place among the most celebrated sustainable buildings in the world," said Grant.

The Opera House has been able to reduce its energy usage by more than 10 per cent over the past five years through a range of lighting-retrofit and lighting-control projects. The building uses a highly innovative seawater cooling system to power its main heating and air-conditioning. It also uses eco-friendly cleaning products like bicarbonate soda for cleaning concrete, olive oil for the bronze and ozone-treated water for disinfecting various areas. 

Read more:

Sydney Opera house to receive $202m upgrade