Viridian expands at Woodville North site ahead of construction code changes

Glass processor Viridian Glass is in the middle of a $4.5 million upgrade to its Woodville North, South Australia site, tipping increased demand for energy-efficiency-boosting windows due to upcoming changes to the state’s building standards.

According to a statement from the South Australian government on Tuesday, Viridian has recently invested $2.3 million at Woodville North to allow the company to begin making double-glazed units. This has included a new production line, and furnace, cutting table and delivery fleet upgrades.

It plans to invest a further $2.2 million in growing capacity. 

It has added 12 roles at the site in the last 12 months, it said, and predicts five-fold capacity growth and an eventual headcount of 65. 

The SA government announced in March that it would adopt a seven-star efficiency requirement on October 1, 2024 for all new builds. 

“The expansion of our facility in Woodville North provides more job opportunities for South Australians in addition to growing the skillset of our local workforce,” said Viridian CEO Dean Haritos.

“This would not be possible without the commitment of the South Australian Government to the new National Construction Code.”

According to modelling cited in the statement, window upgrades for a typical two-storey, four-bedroom home and a one-storey, three-bedroom home would save an average $529 or $310 a year, respectively.

The upfront cost of building a house with a seven star rather than six star rating will likely be higher, however, according to Housing Industry Association SA.

This would vary, but “builders have advised me that up to $15,000 and more in the worst cases”, the organisation’s executive director Stephen Knight said in March this year.

Picture: credit Viridian Glass