Several blue-chip tenants have joined Tasmanian not-for-profit health insurer St Lukes in its new $33 million Launceston building.
The state-of-the-art facility was officially opened on Friday following the completion of construction earlier in the year.
Chief executive Paul Lupo said the building, made predominantly of Tasmanian timber, is one of “Australia’s most innovative and sustainable”.
“This building is pretty much carbon neutral,” he said, adding the use of timber reduced its carbon footprint by up to 40% compared to a regular build.
“A full lifecycle plan means the building can in time be deconstructed, re-engineered and re-used, making it a net zero project.”
“If you look at Tasmanians, they’ve always got sustainability at the heart of everything they do. And we’re a representation of that on behalf of our members.”
Alongside housing 124 St Lukes employees, the building is home to a public cafe, playground and wellness hub, as well as St Lukes’ customer care centre and dental practice.
It will soon become home to Allianz, Salveo, Newton & Henry, ReadyTech and Bank of Us.
“We’ve relocated four sites throughout the city into one and now we’re lucky enough to share this site with six other tenants,” Lupo said.
Bank of Us CEO Paul Ranson said shifting his corporate team of 60 people into the building is “designed to provide a platform for future growth for the bank”.
“It’s been an exciting journey so far. Our intention, or our plan, is to try and be here by mid-next year,” he said.
“It does seem a little time away, but there’s of course a lot of work to be done … There’s certainly a high sense of excitement with it.”
Former Treasurer Michael Ferguson said the state government was pleased to see its $1 million contribution to the $33 million project had gone to good use.
“These funds were provided through the Tasmanian Government’s building support program at the height of the COVID pandemic,” he said.
“I remember very distinctly as the Minister for Finance and Minister for Construction at the time, that in May of 2020, we had major projects that were on the cusp of approval that were put on ice.”
“They were put on hold because the proponents weren’t sure what the future looked like. We could see immediate instability in the pipeline going forward and we knew that we had to act.”
“We’re grateful for the many jobs that have been created, the apprenticeships that have been generated and the opportunities that have been created for our state.”
