Building construction
Completed in the year under review, Green Square North Tower* is part of one of the largest office parks in Brisbane. The approximately 24,000-square-meter tower is the only building in Queensland to date to receive a 6 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The south tower of the office complex, which was built by Leighton, had already received a 5 Star rating in 2007. For example, a new type of cogeneration was used in the project to enable gas to be converted to energy directly on-site. This system led to a reduction of 71 percent in daily greenhouse gas emissions by the North Tower compared with regular office buildings. Leighton Properties and Leighton Contractors worked closely during the Green Square project on developing and building the property. A childcare center, community center and residential building will be constructed on the site by 2009.Another green building will be erected in the heart of Brisbane. Leighton Contractors was awarded the EUR 196 million contract to plan and construct the 44-story highrise for the project at 111 Eagle Street. The aim is for the building to obtain 6 Star Green Star certification from the Green Building Council of Australia, which is the premiumgrade rating.
The government of New South Wales awarded Leighton Properties the contract to develop the first section of the new Green Square Town Centre in Sydney together with a partner. The value of the contract is EUR 870 million. Work is due to start in 2010. By 2031, 28,000 people are expected to be living and 22,000 people to be working on the 280-hectare area.
Leighton's subsidiary Thiess is also constructing a green building, the Ark office tower, worth EUR 60 million. The hallmark of the 21-story building in the north of Sydney is its up to 2,000-square-meter floors. It is anticipated that the sustainable design of the building, which is slated to be completed in spring 2010, will receive at least five stars in the Green Star rating system.
New large-scale projects in the Gulf region
The Al Habtoor Leighton Group is part of a joint venture building Concourse 3, a new terminal with integrated hotels and a duty-free area at Dubai Airport. The Al Habtoor Leighton Group's share is worth nearly EUR 408 million.In Abu Dhabi, Leighton is working with a joint venture to build several tourism-related projects valued at EUR 404 million. The projects include three hotels, a golf course, an office building and a complex with residential facilities for 20,000 workers.
A campus of Sorbonne University is also being built in Abu Dhabi for approximately EUR 211 million. The Al Habtoor Leighton Group is planning and constructing the educational building along with residential and sports facilities on a site measuring 90,000 square meters off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
At the same time, we are participating in building a second university project in the Emirate: Al Habtoor Leighton is planning and constructing the campus of Zayed University. The company's share of the contract amounts to EUR 319 million. All departments and student facilities on the 200,000-square-meter campus will be built in double because men and women there attend classes separately.
