A multi-million-dollar development at the Port of Brisbane has been honoured for its sustainability at the Australian Institute of Building Awards.
McNab CEO Kunjan Ganatra said the company’s work on Electrolux Group‘s Queensland Distribution and Experience Centre won them the Queensland Sustainability Award in the over $2 million category at the 2025 awards, announced last Friday.
Mr Ganatra said the honours positioned the 21,255sqm facility as one of Queensland’s most sustainable buildings.
“The accolade highlights the project’s standout environmental performance, as well as McNab and Port of Brisbane’s role in advancing sustainable construction practices, setting a new benchmark for future industrial developments across the country,” he said.
Mr Ganatra said it was an important win for the Queensland building sector, especially as the state geared up for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
“This was an ambitious and complex project, and from day one, every partner was committed to pushing the boundaries of what we could achieve.
“Early on, we were invited to join an international study tour to see world-class sustainability initiatives in action — an experience that helped shape our thinking and approach for this project.”
Mr Ganatra said the company drew on global perspectives, engaged with international experts and “collaboratively raised the bar” on what was possible in sustainable industrial design.
“Together, we’ve set a new standard for industrial developments across Australia.”
Port of Brisbane Head of Property Brett Wilson said the partnership with McNab spanned 18 projects over five years and laid the foundation for the successful delivery of the distribution and experience centre.
“In the pursuit of a 6-Star GBCA rating, this was a project that pushed the delivery team, spear-headed and expertly coordinated by McNab, to work with industry to find innovative and practical solutions to complex problems, customer requirements and traditional building techniques,” Mr Wilson said.
“It allowed us to implement sustainability initiatives that we’d previously trialled with McNab, on a broader scale and the partnership allowed us to jointly design and deliver our first mass-timber structure – in the process setting a global benchmark for Electrolux’s Experience Centres.”
He said facility was located on a 42,965sqm lot and featured full-height vertical tilt panels for the main office, loading docks, a logistics and inventory warehouse, and repair workshop.
“Designing to the 6-Star Green Star requirements was made possible through the integration of innovative sustainability features, including the use of low carbon concrete for all external elements, reducing CO2 emissions by 63 percent.”
Mr Wilson said building was also equipped with an advanced Building Management System that monitored water and electricity consumption in real-time.
He said a 1.1MW roof solar system generated enough energy to power the building, while feeding excess energy back into the Port’s embedded network, and the water recycling system captured rainfall from the building, providing water for toilet flushing, urinals, internal planter boxes, supporting Electrolux Group’s operations and rigorous product testing processes.
