The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has appointed Rick Fedrizzi to the position of chairman, following its annual general meeting.
Outgoing Chairman, Tony Arnel, is also the Chairman of the Green Building Council of Australia, as well as being the Victorian Building and Plumbing Commissioner.
Arnel said: “It’s been a great privilege to work with the WorldGBC’s network over the last three years.
“During this time, I’ve witnessed a fringe green movement become a mainstream industry. Governments have begun to wake up to the costs of climate change and recognise that buildings are truly the low hanging fruit.
“Technologies and practices which were once considered extraordinary are now business-as-usual. It is a great honour to pass the reigns of the WorldGBC into Rick’s steady hands.”
While speaking at the WorldGBC’s meeting, Arnel said:
“In the last decade, the global green building movement has recalibrated our vision for the world’s buildings and reminded us of why we create our buildings in the first place: for people.
He added: “Buildings – whether they are schools, hospitals, offices or homes, and whether at the design stage or during operation – should be based around the people within them; their purpose, their wellbeing.”
Inspiring green building prejects Arnel spoke about included One Bryant Park, the first high-rise tower in New York to achieve a LEED Platinum rating for its soaring façade of high-performance glass, natural ventilation and low VOC, reclaimed and recycled materials.
“It’s clear from the people who are on the ground that, brick by brick, building by building, the green building movement is transforming the world,” he said.
“Together, we’ve established a solid environmental case for green buildings. Buildings such as Australia’s first carbon neutral office, Pixel, are redefining the way we will build for many years to come.”
