In 2007, RMIT set out on an ambitious sustainability program to reduce energy and water use and carbon emissions by 25 percent. At the time, the Sustainable Urban Precincts Program (SUPP) was the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The Program represented a commitment of AU$128 million across its three campuses in Melbourne, with Siemens responsible for the works on the City campus. Targets were set to reduce grid electricity use by 263 million kilowatt hours over eight years and achieve an annual reduction in carbon emissions of 30,000 tons and 53 million litres of water. Impressively, these targets were achieved four years ahead of schedule. 

RMIT's City campus takes up roughly six percent of the central business district and includes some of Melbourne's oldest buildings. With a mix of old and new buildings, RMIT wanted to better connect and integrate its utility systems and services in order to improve efficiency.

The modern HVAC systems and building management platform Desigo CC give full control of temperature and air flow in every area of the campus, making it a comfortable and pleasant place to learn and work. The chiller and boiler systems were upgraded and some 12,000 lights were replaced with modern, energy-saving bulbs. A water management system was also implemented, saving 37,000 kilolitres of water annually.

The campus is monitored by Navigator – the cloud-based energy and sustainability platform. 17,000 data points are connected and the information analysed to give actionable insights on how to maximize the building’s performance.