Sydney, Australia’s Chifley Tower has earned international recognition for its measured, minimal environmental impact. The 50-storey, 970,000-square-foot structure is this year’s Performance Award recipient from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

The building owner, Reco Bathurst Pty Ltd., and its design and engineering team aimed for 4.5-star rating on Australia’s NABERS 6-star scale when embarking on a major retrofit six years ago. Today, the now 23-year-old building has realized a 55 per cent reduction in electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

CTBUH’s technical award jury commended the effort to upgrade an aging building, boost its competitiveness and address climate change issues.

“It reduced energy costs for the building owner and tenants, it reduced greenhouse gas emissions and repositioned an older building in a very competitive commercial real estate market,” observes juror, Ashok Raiji, a mechanical engineer and principal with Arup. “In a sense, the project gave a new and better life to an old asset that was growing less competitive in the marketplace.”

At 801 feet, the Chifley Tower is tallest building in Sydney and ninth tallest in Australia. It ranks 311th in the world. The Performance Award will be bestowed at the CTBUH’s annual awards symposium in Chicago on November 12.