ECOPACT IS A BUILDING SOLUTION OF CHOICE IN AUSTRALIA

For many end-to-end developers, sustainability is one of the main considerations when building their projects. One such developer is Australia’s Mosaic Property Group, which manages its properties well beyond their completion.

Mosaic designs and develops buildings for an extended, fruitful lifespan, while also prioritizing building solutions that minimize projects’ embodied emissions during the construction phase.

That’s why Mosaic is now using Holcim’s low-carbon ECOPact concrete on select projects, with the goal of making it the concrete of choice for all Mosaic projects in the near future.

We sat down with Marina Vit, Mosaic’s Chief Executive Officer, to talk about the growing awareness of sustainability within the industry, her company’s sustainability journey and how Holcim is helping to achieve it.

Marina Vit, Chief Executive Officer, Mosaic

ENDURING VALUE LED BY SUSTAINABILITY

“We make a promise to customers of enduring value,” says Marina Vit. “We’re trying to make sure we set a path that is sustainable on two fronts: environmental and financial.”

Using ECOPact low-carbon concrete, which guarantees at least 30% CO₂emissions and 100% of the performance, is enticing given that this is where there is substantial potential for reducing the upfront carbon emissions of building projects. And it’s versatile: ECOPact mix designs can be used in a variety of structural components, from foundations, columns and beams, to walls, driveways and walkways.

“That’s the biggest advantage at this point of time in being able to use something like reduced embodied carbon concrete,” Vit says.

THE JOURNEY TO A BETTER CONCRETE

Mosaic is partnering with Holcim to use ECOPact.

“It’s an iterative journey we’re going on with Holcim for obviously an amazing concept and a worthwhile product,” Vit says.

“It’s important we understand how the product works, learn about it and share that information with Holcim.”

Some of the projects Mosaic has built using ECOPact include Luca (a boutique luxury collection in Queensland’s Coollangatta), The Witton (two striking boutique luxury residential buildings in a Brisbane suburb), The Manning (a collection of lifestyle residences a stone’s throw away from central Brisbane) and The Mowbray (a landmark new lifestyle address in East Brisbane).

BUILDING FOR LIFE

Mosaic has more skin in the game than most developers because it manages buildings for 25 years. Its sustainability bona fides are central to the company’s own prosperity, not merely a slogan.

Yet beyond the company’s own future is a broader corporate responsibility, Vit notes. “Our long-term future is a real contemplation for all of us. Our buyers are much more aware of it.

“We’re very committed to providing sustainability that’s real, material and is meaningful to our customers and ourselves,” she adds.

The broader recognition of that meaning has grown rapidly. Vit believes there is greater awareness about sustainability now than there ever has been.

Currently, consumers are willing to invest in Mosaic’s multi-award-winning residential properties across South East Queensland because they are high-quality, smartly designed and exquisitely finished. Credible sustainability is expected to be part of the package.

SUSTAINABILITY FROM DAY ONE

As an end-to-end developer and manager, the company’s sustainability journey begins earlier than most, when deciding upon which sites to acquire for development. For a building to be socially sustainable, it must provide a smaller living footprint for residents by being close to public transport, shopping and other amenities, while also building a sense of community within the building to lower its impact.

Then come the materials. Vit says Mosaic is always looking for other things it can do to reduce its footprint, from the building sites themselves to within its own office and working with external vendors.

“Sustainability is a journey and we’ve continued to evolve our approach along the way,” Vit says. “It’s challenging to work out what’s out there and what more we could be doing.

“Design, material, social impact. All these little pieces of the puzzle make us sustainable,” she adds. “We want our properties to stand the test of time in terms of design and sustainability.”