Building a Sustainable Wild Koala Breeding Facility

Koala Conservation Australia’s koala breeding facility at Guulabaa in the Cowarra State Forest, NSW, aims to find economic and sustainable efficiencies across many aspects of the development therefore lowering the construction and operational carbon footprint.

From building materials, construction, and waste management to reducing energy consumption, Koala Conservation Australia has worked with global leaders in environmentally sustainable design (ESD) to deliver this project.

Building systems including heating, cooling and ventilation are based on maximising passive strategies such as orientation, natural airflow and insulation – all reducing the need for mechanical HVAC systems. Overhead fans are planned for the majority of rooms to further reduce reliance on air conditioning. Rainwater harvesting for re-use and irrigation will reduce reliance on mains potable water.

Preferencing locally sourced hardwoods and recycled materials will lower the centre's embodied emissions and harmonise with the bushland setting.

Sustainability Features

In designing the project, AJ+C with Cundall as sustainability consultants, have used a framework in terms of materials, energy consumption and environmental impact which include:On-site water and sewerage treatment technology that process all site generated liquid wastes for irrigation to selected areas away from riparian zones.

• Cladding for the main buildings in Australian-owned forestry derived sustainable hardwood compressed timber panel comprising 100% natural content (97% timber and 3% wax) with no silica, glues, resins or formaldehydes used in its production, with benefits of being termite resistant.
• Roofing materials selected to reduce the ‘heat island’ effect through lower reflective finishes.
• Environmental Product Declarations are being requested where possible to ensure materials are low in toxins such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
• Smart controls are proposed for air conditioning (where absolutely necessary), ventilation and lighting, enabling effective zoning and overall energy demand management.

A series of small buildings and outdoor enclosures follow the contour lines of the forest, sloping down towards a creek. On higher ground, east of the riparian zone, Koala Conservation Australia’s (KCA) facilities perch on a ridge, offering visitors a vantage point into the koala yards through tree canopy. This approach of elevating the buildings and walkways above ground level (as opposed to on-ground slab construction) minimises disturbance and soil compaction.

The visitor spaces offer an immersive experience designed around an elevated deck where curated information and storytelling will unpack the story of koalas, their habitat, and their role as an umbrella species in the forest ecosystem.

Adjacent to the viewing areas is the research centre where KCA, in partnership with Taronga Conservation Society, will work to breed disease-free koalas for release into the wild.

Named by the local Bunya people Guulabaa (place of koala), the site is on Biripi Country. The centre’s design by architects AJ+C with landscape by Oculus aims to be as low impact as possible, to both preserve the natural bush setting and ensure a quality habitat for koalas.

This sensibility is also seen as an important priority for the project stakeholders, including staff and volunteers of KCA, Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) and future visitors to the centre. In the aftermath of the Black Summer bushfires, the volunteer-led KCA reported a surge in visitor numbers by 50-75 percent, an increase in koala adoptions from around 300 a month to several thousand, and a rise in Facebook followers from 27,000 to around 150,000. This signals the huge public awareness and support of the world-wide community in helping bring koalas back to their forests.

The Wild Koala Breeding Centre has been funded by the public through crowd-funding, donations and adoptions after the 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires had a devastating impact on koala populations, pushing them to be listed under Australian Law as an Endangered Species in 2022. The science conducted here will be pioneering, and the breeding research will form a pilot program that, if successful, could be replicated at scale in other habitat areas, to boost koala repopulation efforts across Australia.

As the world’s first centre for breeding koalas in the wild, its success may determine the survival of this rare marsupial, and will open at the end of 2024.