The Mike Ahern Centre, located in First Avenue, Maroochydore, reached practical completion on 18 April 2011. The building provides approximately 8600 square metres for government office accommodation. The Queensland Government identified the need for a new building in Maroochydore after an extensive review of the current and future accommodation needs of agencies located in the region. A need for a single point of contact for the community for government services was recognised, which called for the consolidation of the many government services in the area to come together under one roof. The Mike Ahern Centre reflected the government’s vision and commitment toward a greener future for government office accommodation with a requirement for a building that incorporated innovative solutions with the best ecologically sustainable practices. The then Department of Public Works designed and delivered the building to meet very high Environmentally Sustainable Development benchmarks with particular emphasis on energy and water efficiency, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a healthy indoor environment. The Green Building Council of Australia has formally recognised the project for ‘world leadership’ in ecologically sustainable office building design, confirming that it has formally received 6 Star Green Star ratings in the Office Design v2 and Office As-Built v2, and 5 Star Green Star rating in the Interiors v1.1 categories.