Property industry uses online social networking to go green

Online social networking technology has been put to use by the commercial property sector, which has launched a $1.5 million online encyclopaedia and networking tool to help create green and profitable commercial buildings.

Designed to function as a collaborative web tool, Your Building was unveiled at Stockland's sustainable headquarters in Sydney's CBD, an office fit-out focused on improving the company's environmental footprint.

Your Building creates an online community whose members can add their own content, post comments, listen to podcasts and contact each other through their personal profiles — similar to the way a growing number of people use forums such as Facebook to communicate with friends and network with new people.

A joint initiative of the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO), the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Construction Innovation and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), Your Building uses internet links to pool thousands of individual sources of information on current sustainability practices, regulation, technological innovations and case studies in a single location.

How-to guides on developing businesses cases for green developments and refurbishments also feature on the site.

CRC for Construction Innovation chief executive officer, Dr Keith Hampson said Your Building would encourage the commercial property sector to share its ideas and experiences, fuel debate on important sustainability issues and ultimately highlight how business could profit from sustainability.

"Your Building is a terrific resource for the entire industry that gives everyone, whether you are a property owner, developer, tenant, designer or manager, the unique ability to collaborate in a single online community," Hampson said.

"Previously, sustainability was thought to conflict with business priorities — this is no longer the case. Healthy, sustainable buildings also make excellent business sense."

Hampson said the resource was an important educational tool for the industry.

For further information, visit www.construction-innovation.info.