Ecological dimensions and human impacts on the environment
The ecological dimensions of the hostel including the environmental constraints, and the human impacts on the environment such as pollution and ecological sustainability.
The environment can be a constraint (a limiting impact) on an economic enterprise because it can affect (or limit) the type of activities the enterprise can do. The environment can also have positive impacts (opportunities) for the business.
The YHA sits on an environmentally sensitive site. Less than 2% of the site is impacted by the building
Environmental constraints on the enterprise:
The sensitive nature of the site meant that the building had to be carefully planned to minimise disruption to the site. This added extra planning and construction costs and limited the number of of hostel rooms that the building could provide. The building was designed to minimise impact to the archaeological site. At the end of its useful life, the building can be dismantled and taken off leaving the archaeological site preserved in-situ.
As the archaeological site preservation was of paramount importance it was not possible to construct a loading dock as part of the hostel. This means all hostel supplies are delivered via the Cumberland Street loading zone parking and through the main entrance of the hostel.
As onsite parking is not possible, due to the archaeological site, guests who need parking have to use nearby parking stations or use metered street parking.
The Rocks precinct building codes restricted the height and capacity the hostel.
An adjacent apartment construction site has meant monitoring was installed to ensure vibrations from excavations and construction do no damage the archaeological remnants. Some city views will be lost due to this building.
Extended dry weather patterns, combined with intense heavy rainfall events, have necessitated intervention on exposed areas of the archaeological site to reduce erosion of the fragile archaeological remnants.
The archaeological site provides opportunities for group-stay bookings through education and tourist visitation.
Image Source: Sydney Harbour YHA
Environmental opportunities for the enterprise:
The historical built environment surrounding Sydney Harbour YHA provides a unique selling feature that attracts guests to this hostel. The panoramic view from the rooftop terrace, from Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and the CBD is a key attraction for guests wanting to experience the 'Sydney' most often seen in tourism promotions.
The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre runs Australian curriculum linked hands-on educational programs on archaeology and history. These programs are run at-cost and are not a direct source of revenue for the hostel, however regional and inter-state school groups often stay at the Sydney Harbour YHA hostel above the site.
Sustainability features are emphasised in all rooms
Image: Courtesy of the Sydney Harbour YHA
Human impacts on the environment
All buildings and their occupants have a potential impact on the local and global environment. Sydney Harbour YHA has been designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible to limit its impact on the surrounding environment and act as a showcase of sustainable features and practices.
Visit the Sydney Harbour YHA Sustainability Webpage for more information about how the business addresses environmental sustainability.
Negative human impacts
The ecological impact on the immediate environment includes contributing to the urban heat island in the inner city area, and the output of waste - water, sewerage, food scraps, paper etc. There is little air pollution except for heated air from the air conditioning system. The hostel uses considerable resources to cover daily operations, including utilities (power and water), paper, food, guest room requirements, etc.
Mitigating human impacts
Significant environmentally sustainable initiatives have been incorporated into design of Sydney Harbour YHA, including:
Solar hot water and solar electricity panels on the rooftops of the hostel and education centre.
80,000 litre rain water retention tanks. This water is re-used for toilet flushing (saving precious drinking water from Sydney main water source - Warragamba Dam).
Gas generator to supply up to 70% of the hostel's power during peak energy demands (creating less Co2 output than coal fired electricity generation). This generally only engages during heat-wave periods when guests request air-conditioning, which is very energy demanding.
Key-card activated lighting and air-conditioning for guest rooms, to save energy when the room is not being used.
Natural ventilation for guest rooms with automatic air-conditioning switch-off when windows are open.
Air-conditioning only activated in rooms upon guest request and automatically turns off at 10 am unless requested by guests
Sliding external shutters for bedroom windows helping to shade and cool rooms in summer
Low voltage energy efficient lighting installed thought the building
Sub-metering for energy - which helps monitor usage by area
Water efficient taps, shower heads and toilets throughout the building
Water meters to monitor major water use areas
No car parking. Storage for up to 10 bicycles.
Low VOC and low formaldehyde building materials used
Recycled rubber flooring
Composting of food scraps and recycling of glass, paper, plastics, batteries, clothing
Cafe avoids single use plastics. Re-usable take-away coffee cups and refillable water bottles are available for purchase.
External areas of hostel, such as the rooftop terrace, are closed after 10 pm to limit residential noise
Acoustic treatment of plant (mechanical) areas to reduce noise pollution
External lighting to directed downwards onto surfaces to reduce light pollution
Minimising the building footprint on the conserved archaeological site below by raising the structure off the ground on pillars