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The 60L Green Building is a landmark in sustainable design. 60L is proudly owned and operated by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and is home to both our Melbourne office, and a community of other purpose-led organisations.

Located in Melbourne’s inner north in Carlton, 60L offers affordable, flexible spaces for organisations that care about people and planet – including office leases, hot desks, and bookable meeting rooms.

Purpose-built to demonstrate environmental leadership, 60L was one of the first commercial buildings in Australia to embrace passive solar design, energy and water efficiency, and low-impact materials. It continues to be a benchmark for green construction and a home for changemakers.

All revenue generated through leasing and bookings goes directly back into ACF’s work to protect Australia’s nature, climate and communities.

Victorian terrace house, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Melbourne. Brick facade, iron lacework, street view.

Features of the 60L Green Building

The 60L Green Building a benchmark in sustainable commercial design, combining low-impact construction with innovative operational systems to minimise environmental harm and maximise wellbeing. The building:

  • Uses just 30% of the energy and 20% of the water of a typical office building
  • Powered by on-site solar and 100% renewable electricity
  • Harvests rainwater for toilet flushing
  • Built with reused and recycled materials, including bricks, timber and concrete
  • Naturally ventilated with automated louvres and a central atrium – no central AC
  • Includes a native rooftop garden, bike storage, showers and no on-site parking to support sustainable transport.

Ways of working at 60L

Whether you're looking for a long-term office, a meeting room for the day, or a desk to call your own for an afternoon, 60L offers flexible, sustainable spaces for purpose-driven people and organisations.

You can:

  • Lease a private office in a community of like-minded changemakers
  • Book a meeting room for your next team session or client catch-up
  • Hot desk in our light-filled, quiet co-working space for just $25/day - coffee included!

All income supports the work of the Australian Conservation Foundation, so every booking helps protect nature and climate.

Use the form below to express your interest – we’d love to welcome you to 60L.

You can also email us directly at 60l.building@acf.org.au.

Explore the 60L space

A commercially viable, healthy, low energy, resource efficient workplace – all with minimal impact on the environment.

Victorian terrace house, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Melbourne. Two-story, brick facade.
Victorian terrace house, Leicester Street, Carlton, Melbourne. Brick facade, ornate details, street view.
Victorian building facade, ornate details, Leicester Street, Carlton.
Victorian building, Leicester Street, Carlton. Red brick facade, arched windows, ornate details, street view.
Victorian building, Leicester Street, Carlton. Brick facade, ornate details, street view.
Victorian building, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton. Red brick facade, arched windows, ornate details.
Victorian building, Leicester Street, Carlton. Five-story facade, ornate details, street view.
Victorian terrace house, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Australia. Brick facade, ornate details, street view.
Victorian terrace house, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Melbourne. Brick facade, ornate details, street view.

Acknowledgements

The 60L project was also the result of the contributions of a great many people and organisations.  Our particular thanks go to the developer - The Green Building Partnership. This partnership was a collaboration of two ethical investment companies – Surrowee Pty Ltd and Green Projects Pty Ltd.  

The Green Building Partnership owned and operated the 60L Green Building – with ACF as its largest tenant occupying a whole floor – until mid 2009 when it generously gifted the building to ACF.

 

Green building with solar panels and trees.

History of the 60L Green Building

In the 1990s, ACF set out to create a new kind of headquarters – a commercial office building that embodied best-practice sustainability.

In partnership with the Green Building Partnership, we transformed a former brick warehouse in Carlton into what became Australia’s first purpose-built green commercial building. 60L opened in 2002, setting a new benchmark for low-impact design, energy and water efficiency, and the use of recycled materials.

In 2009, the Green Building Partnership gifted the building to ACF to own and operate in perpetuity – a generous act that ensures the building continues to support environmental progress.

Today, 60L remains a powerful example of what’s possible – inspiring other green buildings and proving that a healthy, low-impact workplace can be both practical and commercially viable.

60L has won a numerous awards for excellence, including The Victorian Premier’s Business Sustainability Award in 2003.

What is a Green Lease?

The Green Building Partnership, in constructing the 60L Green Building, realised that one of the most effective measures to ensure tenants adopted environmentally friendly practices would be to develop a Green Lease.

Until now, leases for rental properties generally only specify measures to protect financial obligations and the property. They do not encourage sustainable behaviour.

The partnership created a unique 'Green Lease' to put the onus on the tenants to operate efficiently within their space and to maximise the environmental benefits of the building.

Tour the 60L Green Building

60L Green Building tours are available. To enquire, please email the 60L Building Manager. You can also download the tour brochure.

Discover details about research, design and materials in the 60L Green Building design guide and read the full story of this groundbreaking project in the 60L Green Building report.