Green Star rating
4 Star Green Star Buildings v1
Location
Noongar Country
Certification
2025
Type
Industrial
Owner
Border Express
- Perth Airport
- Skyfields
- Capstone Constructions
- Stantec
Images:
Capstone Constructions
4 Star Green Star – Buildings
At home within Perth Aiport estate is 17 Tarlton Crescent, a purpose-built warehouse and logistics facility with a 4 Star Green Star Buildings rating representing Best Practice in environmentally sustainable building design and delivery.
Images credited to Capstone Construction
Located in Perth, Western Australia on Noongar Country, the facility provides expanded freight handling and transport capability in a strategically connected location. Developed for Border Express by Perth Airport’s commercial property business Skyfields, the decision to target Green Star came down to alignment between Perth Airport and Skyfield’s broader sustainability commitments and their objective to integrate sustainability into the planning, delivery and operation of new assets.
Dan Sweet, Chief Property Officer, said as Perth Airport progresses WA’s largest ever private infrastructure investment, the rating provides a practical framework to embed these long-standing sustainability objectives into the next generation of aviation and commercial developments across the estate.
“For 17 Tarlton Crescent, the rating provided a credible and achievable benchmark for delivering Best Practice outcomes across energy, water, waste, indoor environment quality and responsible material selection, while remaining commercially practical for a large-scale warehouse and logistics facility,” Dan said.
For Skyfields and Border Express, the project also provided an opportunity to embed sustainability into a high-functioning freight and logistics facility, showing that operational growth and better environmental outcomes can be delivered together.
Sustainable, healthy buildings
Not only do sustainable and healthy buildings deliver long term value across environmental and operational outcomes – reducing resource use, support lower emissions, improve resilience to future climate risks – they also provide healthier and more comfortable places for people to work.
“For the people working there, the Green Star approach supports better indoor environmental quality, more access to daylight and fresh air, and more efficient building systems that can improve comfort and productivity. And just as importantly, the certification gives building users and stakeholders confidence that sustainability outcomes were intentionally built into the project from the outset,” explained Ian Swann, Branch Manager of Border Express WA.
Key design features
“One of the most significant sustainability features of the project was its future-ready design. The facility was delivered without a mains gas connection and incorporates all-electric mechanical and hydraulic systems, including electric heat pump technology for air conditioning and domestic hot water. The design also includes a 99kWdc rooftop solar photovoltaic system with infrastructure and electrical provisions for the future installation of EV Chargers, supporting the building’s long-term decarbonisation pathway,” Dan said.
The project was also supported by a Zero Carbon Action Plan that identifies future opportunities to further reduce emissions over the building’s operational life. This includes potential replacement of the diesel backup generator with lower-carbon alternatives such as battery storage or renewable fuels, future upgrades to lower-impact refrigerants as equipment reaches end of life, and the planned installation of rooftop solar PV. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how the facility has been designed not only to perform efficiently today, but also to support a transition towards net zero emissions in the future.
Circularity and responsible product initiatives were incorporated through minimising construction waste and a broader design focus on lifecycle impact reduction.
Performance data at Perth Airport
The building at 17 Tarlton Crescent achieved:
- 58% reduction in operational energy use
- 26% reduction in potable water consumption
- More than 20% reduction in upfront carbon emissions
- More than 95% of construction and demolition waste was diverted from landfill
Key lessons learned
“Having Green Star rated buildings at Perth Airport is a meaningful milestone because it demonstrates that sustainability ambitions are being translated into delivered outcomes on the ground. It shows that Best Practice sustainable building delivery is achievable even for large-scale freight and logistics infrastructure and reflects strong collaboration between sustainability, property and project teams,” said Angie Young, Chief People, Safety & Sustainability Officer at Perth Airport.
For the team behind 17 Tarlton Crescent, one of the key lessons is the importance of integrating Green Star requirements early, to avoid retrofitting in sustainability outcomes down the track. Early collaboration between project managers, sustainability advisors, property stakeholders, designers and contractors makes it much easier to identify practical pathways to certification and manage trade-offs effectively.
Finally, strong documentation, clear responsibilities, and ongoing engagement throughout design and construction are critical. Warehouse and logistics projects can absolutely achieve meaningful sustainability outcomes, but success depends on disciplined coordination and a shared commitment across the project team.
