It is seldom that I come to a building that not only makes me think ‘yup, tick, they have all the environmental aspects right’, but think ‘wow this place sings’. I get emotional about the Venny and do every year when I take my students there. It isn’t living building certified, it was built before LBC was a consideration, so it probably has most of the red list in it and doesn’t have the verification systems needed… BUT… boy does it live.

Australia’s first candidate for Living Building Challenge certification is located just metres from the Pacific Ocean in the most unlikely of places – the regional town of Wollongong, New South Wales, known for its steel and coal. Recently completed, the University of Wollongong’s Sustainable Buildings Research Centre will be a beacon for urban renewal as Wollongong transforms from an industrial city to a services-led economy.