Aligning goals for sustainable outcomes: Case study of a university building in Australia

The importance of universities goes beyond teaching and undertaking research. Universities can shape cities due to the significant number of buildings they occupy, large amounts of resources they consume and the high number of staff and students attending them. With many universities teaching subjects relating to sustainable planning, design, management, cities and society, they present an opportunity to lead by example and act as urban learning labs for a transition to a low carbon future. This chapter presents analysis from a post-occupancy evaluation of a Green Star rated university building in Melbourne, Australia. In addition to the analysis of building performance data, interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders involved across the design, construction and occupation of the building. A Building User Satisfaction survey was also undertaken for occupants. The analysis identified a number of key successes as well as a number of challenges. Learnings from the research are applicable not just to academic institutions but to the wider built environment industry in shaping the sustainability of the built environment.