In a statement released on Monday in response to questions from Allied Media, the council clarified the steel had been sourced from ‘‘a range of suppliers using electric-arc furnace and recycled content including reinforcing steel from Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore’’ rather than Indonesia, as stated in an earlier press release.
Allied Media had asked the council if steel used to construct the new Te Unua Museum of Southland had been sourced from a country whose steel industry was heavily dependent on coal power and as such, not ‘‘green’’.
Green Star awards are Australasia’s leading sustainability rating system for buildings which included criteria such as environmental performances, water conservation, material selection and carbon emissions reductions.
Te Unua Museum of Southland director Eloise Wallace said attaining the provisional Green Star certification meant the facility was on track to be the first museum in the country to receive the accolade.
Invercargill City Council senior project manager Haydyn Taylor said the certification reflected efforts to embed environmental sustainability throughout the project — from the build, to its long-term operational practices.
‘‘The process looks across the entire project, from considering the sustainability of the materials you select for the structure, to the healthiness of the indoor spaces you’re creating — how much natural air and light you have coming in, how you’re mitigating noise pollution,’’ he said.
