Gippsland Sports & Entertainment Park

To realise this vision, erbas™ SUSTAIN partnered with Building Engineering to undertake a comprehensive Whole of Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA), providing practical, data-driven strategies to reduce carbon emissions across the project lifecycle. The WLCA assesses both embodied and operational carbon over a 60-year study period, in accordance with BS EN 15978:2011 (Modules A–D).

The assessment scope covers the new sports pavilion, change pod, three new pitches and the carpark area, taking into account construction materials, building services and long-term operational performance.

Two scenarios were evaluated: a reference case aligned with the minimum requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC) using conventional materials, and a proposed case incorporating targeted design interventions. Dynamic energy modelling and detailed embodied carbon modelling were carried out to quantify carbon reduction performance in both operational and embodied aspects.

Key measures include electrification, energy system upgrades, solar PV installation, optimisation of turf materials, adoption of low-carbon concrete and application of rammed earth walls.

With the recommended initiatives fully implemented, the proposed design has the potential to achieve up to 38.4% reduction in Whole of Life Carbon emissions compared with the reference case.

This project demonstrates how erbas™ SUSTAIN integrated approach combining design optimisation, advanced modelling and sustainable material selection, which can deliver measurable, long-term carbon reductions for community sports facilities.