Sustainability and resilience

Exploring the First Building, Bradfield and beyond.

Solar panels and plants on roof of First Building in Bradfield City Centre

Bradfield City Centre is building a sustainable and resilient future in Western Sydney.

The First Building sets a new benchmark for sustainable architecture. It features innovative design elements that minimise energy consumption, manage heat, and reduce waste. 

Every aspect, from its green rooftop, to its modular construction, prioritises environmental responsibility and adaptability for the future.

Quick facts

  • Low embodied carbon and natural materials
  • Green rooftop with native plants for biodiversity  
  • 180kW solar and 460kWh battery
  • Rainwater harvesting system  
  • Rapid EV chargers
  • More than 90% recycling of project waste 
2:06

Sustainability and resilience

Read transcript
Video transcript

Sustainability and resilience

Liz Westgarth

This building, I think, sets a benchmark for future development in a new city. So it's sustainable, but it's beyond sustainable. 

Lucy Sharman

It's regenerative, It's the First Building, but it is a flagship and it really sends a very clear signal about what we're trying to do as the Bradfield Development Authority to develop a city that is resilient to climate change. 

Jeff Morgan 

The design was based on a very regular gridded structure and a modular kit of parts, which allowed the building design to be flexible in the way it was designed, but also to be flexible into the future. Designed with bolted connections, the structure can be disassembled, allowing bits to be added on or for the entire structure to be disassembled and possibly even relocated in future to another site. 

Jon Hazelwood

One of the key elements of the project that I'm most proud of is the planted roof behind. It's just been a stunning success, 14,000 plants, multiple species, and it's for a variety of reasons. There's some very pragmatic reasons why we do this on a building. It helps reduce the ambient heat on that roof and actually in doing that, there's solar up on the roof as well and actually makes the solar panels amongst the planting far more efficient to use as well. 

Jeff Morgan 

I think in many ways the roof of the first building really is the building. It protects the building from the sun, it shades its facades. It collects water. 

Liz Westgarth 

We've extensively used timber through the building which is low embodied carbon. It also has a warmth to it.

Lucy Sharman 

I love the rammed earth walls. They're beautiful. You can see the colours of the Cumberland Plain in that wall. But those walls actually keep the ambient temperature much more stable, so they retain the standard temperature of around 22°. So that helps to keep the whole building much more cool without having to use mechanical air conditioning.

Jeff Morgan

If we're really serious about changing our built environment for the better to address our climate crises, then every now and then we need a building that really pushes the envelope further. And I think the First Building does that.

Sustainability in the First Building

Green Roof

The 1,300sqm rooftop hosts 14,000 native plants. It creates a "living shield" that reduces roof temperatures by up to 20 degrees.

This biodiverse garden is filled with plants that are adapted to Western Sydney's heat, helping to enhance local ecology.

The rooftop of the First Building featuring solar panels, plants and a viewing platform.

Rammed Earth Walls  

Sixteen locally-sourced rammed earth panels in the central atrium serve dual purposes. They connect with Cumberland Plain's natural environment, while providing thermal mass to maintain stable internal temperatures. 

At the end of the building's life, the walls can be broken down and reused, demonstrating circular design principles.

People walking in front of the rammed earth walls in the First Building.

Natural Ventilation  

The building's innovative design harnesses natural airflow through atrium and façade panels that can be opened. During hot summer nights, heat can be released through chimney stacks, reducing dependency on cooling systems. 

An open, light-filled atrium in the First Building in Bradfield

Solar Power System  

A 180kW solar PV system combined with a 460kWh on-site battery provides clean energy and efficient power management. This integrated system helps the building maintain energy independence while reducing its carbon footprint. 

Solar panels surrounded by plants on a rooftop

Water Management

A 150kL in-ground rainwater tank captures and stores water from the large roof structure. This harvested water is treated and reused for landscape irrigation and grey water applications - such as the building's toilets - minimising water consumption.

Pipe and drainage system on the side of First Building

Modular Design  

The mass timber construction features prefabricated components that can be disassembled, reconfigured, or reused as needs change. 

Structural columns and beams made of timber inside a building

This adaptable design approach, combined with the use of "green" concrete containing 40% less Portland cement, significantly reduces the building's embodied carbon. 

2:46

Bradfield City Centre First Building - Sustainability features

Setting the standard for sustainability in Bradfield City and beyond

The First Building demonstrates Bradfield City Centre's commitment to sustainability through its comprehensive integration of environmental design features, innovative technologies, and future-focused solutions.

Our Sustainability and Resilience Strategy 2024-2028 sets ambitious targets to create a green, connected and advanced city. The Strategy focuses on system-wide changes and removes barriers to building sustainable places.

The Strategy's five themes shown in the interactive diagram below are interrelated. Every stage of designing, delivering and operating Bradfield City Centre will integrate them.

  • Theme 1 – Nature Positive and resilient water systems
  • Theme 2 – Adaptive, resilient, safe and well communities
  • Theme 3 – More equitable access to jobs, careers and learning
  • Theme 4 – Decarbonised cities striving towards net zero
  • Theme 5 – Circular systems and ethical supply chains

Five lenses for our thinking and work

Alongside the five themes in our Sustainability and Resilience Strategy, we apply five lenses to our work:

  • First Nations’ Country.
  • The communities we serve.
  • Economic prosperity.
  • Open and transparent governance.
  • Our commitment to innovation and leadership.

These lenses shape our thinking and actions. They help us navigate complex environmental, social and economic systems, consider diverse perspectives, and find new ways to deliver solutions. 

Related links

Download as PDF Print this page
Top of page