Sustainability
The Bradfield Development Authority is committed to embedding sustainability and climate resilience across our corporate and development activities.
We have set ambitious targets to build a city for climate resilience, that will challenge us and the industry as a whole. Our targets are detailed in our Sustainability and Resilience Strategy 2024-2028 (Strategy).
As our work developing Bradfield City Centre progresses, we will continue to reflect on our approach, monitor and report on our progress, and leverage advances in environmental, social and economic sustainability.
How are we building a climate resilient city?
Western Sydney is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. Floods, bushfires and extreme heat are set to worsen over the coming years. Bradfield City Centre will integrate nature-based solutions and innovative technology to mitigate the impacts of climate change and heat.
Our Sustainability and Resilience Strategy 2024–2028 sets out ambitious targets for achieving our vision of a green, connected and advanced city. Every aspect of the Strategy looks to system-wide changes and addresses barriers that may prevent us from delivering sustainable buildings and places.
The five themes in the Strategy are all interrelated; every stage of designing, delivering and operating Bradfield City Centre will integrate these five themes.
Five lenses for our thinking and work
Further to the five themes set out in this Strategy, we will deliver our work through five lenses. These are: First Nations’ Country, the communities we serve, economic prosperity, open and transparent governance and the BDA’s commitment to innovate and lead.
Using these five lenses in our thinking and actions will help us engage with the complex environmental, social, and economic systems in which we work, consider different perspectives, and find new ways to deliver solutions.
Sustainability in action
The First Building
- 1338sqm Green Roof with biodiverse planting, insulating the building from heat and supporting local biodiversity.
- On-site 460kWh battery to power the building and efficiently manage power needs.
- 180kW solar PV on rooftop.
- Rapid EV chargers.
- Mass timber design with low embodied carbon.
- Core walls made of locally sourced rammed earth providing thermal mass, and reducing the use of concrete.
- Building designed for disassembly, enables building to be taken apart and timbers reused in future if required.
- Use of “green” concrete, using 40% less Portland cement than standard concrete mixes.
How can we achieve climate adaptation and mitigation?
We are designing a decarbonised city that will support renewable energy production and reduction in waste and carbon emissions.
Greening our precincts and developments through planting and canopy cover will help cool buildings and open spaces during hot weather, making the city more livable.
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), mandatory green roofs and creek line restoration will reduce the risks of floods. Greening surfaces and landscapes will increase permeability to filter rainwater and slow down stormwater runoff. This will reduce erosion in the landscape and protect our waterways.
Climate resilient species will be needed to survive extreme weather events. By increasing and restoring species of the Cumberland Plain, there will be more genetically diverse and resilient species.
Contact the Bradfield Development Authority
Email [email protected] to find out more about Bradfield City's sustainability initiatives.