Environment glossary

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Abatement

Reduction, sequestration and/or mitigation, usually in relation to greenhouse gases, but also in relation to reducing the risk of materials such as asbestos, CFCs and lead-based paints. The amount by which a project reduces or captures greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. See climate change, climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas.

Abatement certificate

With respect to greenhouse gases, a certificate represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO²-e) of greenhouse gas emissions, the release of which into the atmosphere was avoided, or which was removed from the atmosphere by the activity in respect of which it was created. See abatement, climate change, climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas.

Accessibility

Refers to the provision of non-discriminatory access for all members of the community. See Acumen Access design guide.

AccuRate

House energy rating tool developed by CSIRO and used for the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). See building energy simulation software, Environment note Residential building sustainability rating tools in Australia, rating tool.

Acid rain

Precipitation (in the form of rainwater, snow, fog) containing concentrations of sulfuric and nitric acids. Air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of acid rain. Can harm or destroy forests and wildlife, cause corrosion of infrastructure, buildings and cars and affect human health.

Active systems

Generally refers to electrical and mechanical (as opposed to passive) energy-using systems within a building that assist with heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, energy generation and water use. See passive design.

Adaptation

Adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment. Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. ‘Managing the unavoidable’. See abatement, Environment note Climate change adaptation for building designers, climate change, climate change mitigation.

Adaptive comfort

A synergistic approach to building ventilation that seeks to contribute to both energy conservation and occupant satisfaction by engaging building occupants in the provision of their own comfort. See Environment note Adaptive comfort: passive design for active occupants, HVAC, thermal comfort, ventilation.

Adaptive reuse

Conversion of a facility or part of a facility to a use significantly different from that for which it was originally designed (Iselin and Lemer 1993). 

Adhesives

Chemicals/substances used in construction capable of holding materials together by surface attachment eg epoxy resins, polyvinyl acetate (PVA) emulsions, formaldehyde adhesives (being phased out), cements, mucilages, pastes and glues. A source of off-gassing in indoor environments where spirit-based or formaldehyde adhesives off-gas higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than water-based ones (Standards Australia 1997).

Adobe

Roughly moulded and sun-dried blocks, made from clay-rich soil reinforced with chopped straw or other fibrous binders, for use in earth-wall construction. Also known as mud bricks. See earth construction.

Aerated wastewater treatment system (AWTS)

A system that bubbles air through the wastewater held in a tank to provide the micro-organisms with oxygen to facilitate aerobic biological digestion of the organic matter in the wastewater (Environmental Protection Authority Victoria 2016). See aerobic digestion, blackwater, greywater.

Aerobic digestion

A process of decomposition of organic waste using micro-organisms and oxygen in the process. See anaerobic digestion, composting toilet.

Afforestation

Establishment of new forests and woodlands in areas which historically have not contained them. Compare with reafforestation, or reforestation – the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, eg through deforestation.

Air change

‘Amount of air supplied to, or removed from, a building or room to completely change the volume of air contained within’. Usually expressed in terms of the number of volumes exchanged in a given period of time, such as per hour or day' (Standards Australia 2020). For instance expressed as air changes per hour (ACH), as a measure of the infiltration rate. See Environment note Air tightness and thermal bridging in buildings.

Air source heat pump

A heat pump that draws heat or rejects heat to the outdoor air. In contrast with a ground source heat pump (Ching and Shapiro 2021). See ground source heat pump.

Albedo

A measure of solar reflectance. 

Alliance contracting

A long-term incentive-based partnering agreement, where parties agree to work together as one team. Can enhance innovation and avoid costs associated with tendering for team formation on every new project. Can assist integrated delivery of ESD design and delivery objectives. See integrated design.

American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

An international organisation for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration industry. See ASHRAE website.

Anaerobic digestion

A process of biologically degrading organic materials in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas (a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane) and digestate (a nutrient-rich residue) (Sustainability Victoria 2018).

Anthropogenic

Made by people or resulting from human activities. Usually used in the context of emissions that are produced as the result of human activities, such as ‘anthropogenic greenhouse gases’. See climate change.

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR)

A technique whereby water such as stormwater or even highly treated wastewater can be stored below ground for later extraction and reuse. It can be useful in urban areas if they are underlain with suitable aquifers, as the cost of land for above-ground storages can be high. Potential risks from this technique include pollution of groundwater systems. See Environment note Water conservation and harvesting in Adelaide: four case studies, stormwater.

Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB)

Standards writing body that is responsible for the development of the National Construction Code (NCC), which comprisesing the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) (Australian Building Code Board n.d.). See Acumen note Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), BCA, NCC.

Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air-conditioning and Heating (AIRAH)

The industry group for the Australian heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration industry. See AIRAH website.

Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC)

A peak body of Australian industry and professional associations, non-government organisations and government observers who are involved in the planning, design, delivery and operation of the built environment, and are concerned with the social and environmental impacts of that sector, See ASBEC website.

Autonomous servicing

A building operating independently of any inputs or outputs except those resources that can be collected from or distributed to its immediate environment. Often hybridised, as with rooftop solar power combined with the grid for both supply and disposal.

Backcasting

Reverse forecasting technique which starts with a desirable future outcome and then works backwards to the present conditions.

Bagasse

The crushed, juiceless remains of processed sugar cane. An agricultural by-product that can have further uses such as a feedstock for construction panels or paper making, thereby substituting virgin wood feedstock. See industrial ecology.

Baseline

With regard to buildings, a standard measure or perceived common level of performance at a given point in time, against which design objectives and/or performance targets may be set, with the aim of achieving improved design outcomes or performance standards. See rating tool.

Benchmarking

The process of identifying the performance of a product, service, function, process or activity at a given point in time and using it as a target or baseline against which to set or judge improved performance. Used with regard to buildings to determine energy consumption targets, for example.

Berm

An artificial ridge, embankment or terrace. May be built against the length of an exterior wall at an angle to reduce the exposure of surface area of the wall to external ambient conditions (temperature, humidity and acoustic) in order to assist in maintaining the equilibrium between subterranean ground temperature and a building’s thermal mass. See example in Environment note Architecture’s role in the repair of the natural environment, insulation.

Bio-accumulation

The process by which chemicals (including some forms of heavy metals and chlorinated pesticides such as DDT) are taken up by organisms from the environment and accumulated in their tissues and subsequent increased concentrations in eco-systems and food chains. See biomagnification.

Biocapacity

‘The capacity of a given area to generate an enduring supply of renewable resources and to absorb its spillover wastes’ (Oxford University Press 2015). 

Bioclimatic

The effects of climatic conditions on living organisms. In relation to architecture, buildings designed, built and operated in response to the local climate (Aynsley 2014). See passive design.

Biodegradable

A material capable of being decomposed as a result of the action of micro-organisms.

Biodiversity

The variety of all life forms. The different plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems they form. Usually considered at three levels, ie genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.

Biofiltration

A pollution control method using a bioreactor containing living material to capture and/or degrade harmful chemicals. Applications include the processing of wastewater, stormwater (as part of Water Sensitive Urban Design) and contaminated and/or odorous air. See Environment notes Living walls – a way to green the built environment and Water sensitive urban design in the Melbourne Docklands – raingardens and bioretention tree pits.

Biofuel

A gaseous, liquid, or solid fuel that is produced from organic matter such as plants, sewage, dry waste, cane sugar or wood pulp, through combustion or fermentation. See renewable energy.

Biological control

Use of organisms (predators, herbivores, parasites, and disease producing organisms) to control pest animals and plants. Examples include falcons to control pigeons, cane toads to control the cane beetle, and myxomatosis to control rabbits.

Biological nutrient

Organic matter as waste able to be reused in natural ecosystems (McDonough and Braungart 2002). Organic materials that can decompose into the natural environment without affecting it in a negative way, providing food for bacteria and microbiological life. See technical nutrient.

Biomagnification

The increasing concentration of a substance as it passes into higher trophic levels of a food web. See bio-accumulation.

Biomass

Generally any mass of recently produced organic matter (and so peat is not classified as biomass by the IPCC). Biomass considered as renewable includes by-products of agricultural crops (excluding broad-scale land-clearing for agricultural purposes), sustainably managed forests, food processing/production industries and sewage treatment and organic components of mixed municipal wastes. A source of biofuel.

Biome

‘A large community of vegetation and wildlife adapted to a specific climate. The five major types of biomes are aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra’ (National Geographic 2021). See ecosystem.

Biomimicry

A philosophy, science and design practice that learns from and emulates strategies found in nature’s forms, processes and systems to solve human design challenges. See biophilic design, ecology, industrial ecology.

Biophilic design

The deliberate incorporation of elements of nature into the built environment (Sturgeon 2017). See biomimicry, ecology, Environment note Biophilic design: an introduction for designers, industrial ecology.

Bioregion 

‘Large, geographically distinct areas of land with common characteristics such as geology, landform patterns, climate, ecological features and plant and animal communities’ (Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment 2021).

Bioremediation

The use of organisms to remove, break down or neutralise environmental pollutants in soil, groundwater or wastewater. Short for biological remediation. Also known as bioreclamation (Oxford University Press 2012).  

Biosolids

Treated sewage sludge. Sewage sludge is the solids collected from a wastewater treatment process. Biosolids undergo treatment to significantly reduce disease-causing pathogens and volatile organic matter, producing a stabilised product suitable for uses such as fertiliser and biofuel. See biological nutrient.

Biosphere

'The whole of the region of the earth's surface, the sea, and the air that is inhabited by living organisms' (Oxford University Press 2019).

Blackwater

The waste water from toilet and urinal systems.

BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)

A set of UK-based environmental assessment methods and rating systems for communities, infrastructure, new buildings, buildings in use, and refurbishment and fit-out. Used internationally. See BREEAM website.

Brise-soleil

External sun shading/control device or fixture. Can be a horizontal device extending out from building, or a lattice type system across the facade. See solar shading.

Bromine (Br)

Areactive gaseous element of the halide group (which includes fluorine, chlorine, iodine), found in halons (fire extinguishing agents), some refrigerants, methyl bromide (a fumigant, controlled under the Montreal Protocol) and flame retardants. A catalyst in the destruction of stratospheric ozone (Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment n.d.). See chlorine, ozone, ozone depletion.

Brownfield site

Land which has already seen development and is lying vacant, abandoned, idled, or underused. Depending on the previous use. The land may be contaminated to some extent. See remediation.

Brundtland Commission Report 

A United Nations report that refers to sustainable development as that which ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland G 1987). See Environmentally sustainable development.

Building Code of Australia (BCA)

The national performance-based building code, produced and maintained by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) on behalf of the Australian Government and State and Territory Governments. Mandated in building/development regulations in all Australian States and Territories. Forms Volume 1 and 2 of the National Construction Code (NCC). See NCC.

Building Energy Rating Scheme (BERS)

A house energy rating software system used to simulate and analyse the thermal performance of Australian houses in climates ranging from alpine to tropical.

Building energy simulation software

Software used by building professionals to predict the energy performance of buildings. Modelling tool used to inform building design and to help size air-conditioning and other building plant. Predicts how a building will perform when it has been built. Provides insights into which aspects of the building design, materials and features contribute to or undermine energy efficiency, so that improvements can be made. The software may interact with the building information model (BIM). See Environment note Optimising environmental performance using building performance simulation, rating tool.

Building envelope

The parts of a building’s fabric (external walls, glazing, roofs etc) that separates interior from exterior spaces. The primary function is weather protection for the occupants, and the provision of comfort year round.

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)

Photovoltaic systems integrated into the building structure and/or fabric so that they displace other building material requirements, thereby fulfilling a dual role as building fabric products and energy systems, eg active photovoltaic facades and PV roof tiles See Environment note Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), photovoltaics.

Building management system (BMS)

Computerised system that monitors and manages the building’s fabric and services for the purposes of maintaining optimal working environments, maximising operational performance and assisting in the early identification of failure. The software may interact with the building information model.

Building orientation

The direction a building faces, usually considering issues such as the view, access, sun paths and local weather conditions such as the prevailing wind and rain directions. See passive design.

Building Sustainability Index (BASIX)

A residential building tool used in NSW to assess energy and water use and thermal comfort, administered by the Sustainability Unit of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. See building energy simulation software, Environment notes Building environmental performance assessment: methods and tools and Mind the gap: predicted vs. actual performance of green buildings, rating tool.

Built environment

Human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from personal shelter and buildings and gardens, to neighbourhoods and cities and beyond. Often includes supporting infrastructure, such as water supply, energy and transport networks.

Carbon cycle

The natural processes that govern the exchange of carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide, carbonates and organic compounds) in the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial systems, sediments (including fossil fuels) and lithosphere (the Earth’s interior).

Carbon dioxide (CO²)

A naturally occurring, colourless gas essential to plant life, abundant in the atmosphere and essential to some industrial processes constituting approximately 0.036% of the atmosphere. A by-product of burning fossil fuels and biomass, as well as land-use changes, such as agriculture, and other industrial processes. The principal greenhouse gas affecting the earth’s temperatures and the reference gas against which other greenhouse gases are indexed with a global warming potential (GWP) of 1.0. See also climate change, greenhouse gas.

Carbon offset

‘Purchase of carbon offsets involves paying others to take emission-reducing or sequestration actions they would not otherwise pursue, so that your project can claim the credit for the emission reduction’. They are not a long-term solution, ‘but selection of worthy projects means that investment in capacity to cut emissions, as well as local social, economic and other environmental outcomes, can be captured, while offset buyers manage impacts they cannot reduce’ (Pears 2020).

Carbon sequestration

The removal or capture of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis or technological measures through storage in a carbon sink. May involve containing the gas physically without changing its chemical form, or more commonly fixing the gas within a different material through a chemical or biophysical process. See climate change, greenhouse gas.

Carbon sink

A pool or reservoir that absorbs or takes up released carbon from another part of the carbon cycle for an indefinite period. Includes natural sinks (oceans, plants) and artificial sinks (landfills, carbon capture and storage systems). See carbon dioxide, climate change.

Caring for Country

‘A term used to describe the land management practices and programs that First Nations Peoples undertake, and the role these play in enabling continuing culture. To care for Country is to recognise that the different ecosystems across the continent require different practices to enable sustainable living’ (AACA 2021). See Country.

Carrying capacity 

In ecology, the maximum population of a species that a habitat or area can support, the limit usually being determined by environmental factors such as food, water and shelter (Oxford University Press 2014; National Geographic 2021).

Catchment area

The area from which a city, service or institution attracts a population that uses its services (as in a school catchment area), or the area from which water is collected by the natural landscape into creeks and beyond. See stormwater.

Cement extenders

Materials that partially replace cement in a concrete mix in order to reduce cost and associated CO² emissions, and to affect properties such as density, durability and permeability. See supplementary cementitious materials (SCM).

Charrette

A design process, usually conducted over a number of days with a facilitator and various briefing materials and resources, enabling multidisciplinary teams, often drawn from many stakeholder groups, to collaboratively address a design project, problem or task to produce one or more optimal design options. See Acumen note Design workshops (charrette), Environment note Regenerative development through LENSES with a case study of Seacombe West, participatory design.

Chilled beams

A type of heat exchange system, where water is passed through a fin-and-tube heat exchanger suspended from the ceiling, and which is in contact with internal air, creating convection currents in the space. May be active or passive. See Environment note The integrated design process of Council House 2.

Chlorine (Cl)

A reactive gaseous element of the halide group (which includes fluorine, bromine, iodine), present in CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and some refrigerants and flame retardants. A catalyst in the destruction of stratospheric ozone and along with the organochloride family, responsible for a wide range of environmental and human health impacts. Forming the main chemical link in the dangerous environmental substances dioxin, DDT, PCBs, HFCs and HCFCs. See bromine, CFCs, greenhouse gases, halons, HCFCs, HFCs, Montreal Protocol, ozone depleting substances, PVC.

Circular economy

A system in which resources are recovered at their highest quality and kept in circulation for as long as possible. The primary principle is elimination of waste through managing out waste and ensuring products and materials are identified, valued, refurbished, reused and repaired as a means to reduce waste production and lower carbon emissions.

Climate change

Change attributed directly or indirectly to human activity. Alters the composition of the global atmosphere and is in addition to natural climate variability over comparable time periods. Often used to describe global warming with environmental implications including temperature change and sea-level rises, changes in rainfall, increased extreme weather event intensity and frequency, changes in ground-water and atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns and locations, and displacement of ecosystems. See Climate Change in Australia website, Kyoto Protocol.

Climate change adaptation

See adaptation.

Climate change mitigation

Measures which are aimed at reducing GHG emissions in order to minimise global warming. ‘Avoiding the unmanageable’. Compare to climate change adaptation: ‘managing the unavoidable’. See abatement, adaptation, climate change, climate change mitigation, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gas.

Climate rejecting

A design approach that exclusively uses the building envelope and form to reject prevailing climatic elements, providing indoor comfort through mechanical systems only, thereby constraining the ability to minimise energy use through passive means. See active system.

Climate responsive

A design approach that seeks to achieve year-round internal comfort using passive methods of responding to and using local climatic conditions. See bioclimatic, passive design.

Climate zone

A geographical area which is assumed to have broadly similar climatic characteristics throughout. Adopted by the National Construction Code (NCC) to define climate types in Australia Note that the NCC zones are not the same as those defined in the international Köppen-Geiger classification. See NCC.

Cohousing

Where common spaces and facilities are created to support neighbourhood activity, always in addition to individual dwellings. Aims to create community and deploy social organisation and cooperation to reduce material demands and substitute for material consumption. See Environment notes Cohousing: an introduction to a residential alternative and Co-housing and rethinking the neighbourhood – the Australian context.

Cogeneration

Also called combined heat and power (CHP). The simultaneous production of electrical energy and heating from a single fuel source in a single process. The heat would normally be wasted in the power generation process. See trigeneration.

Commissioning

With respect to plant and equipment, the systematic checking and testing of new or refurbished plant and equipment in a building or facility to ensure that operational performance meets the design intent and specifications. See post-occupancy evaluation.

Compost

Relatively stable humus-like product that can be safely handled, stored, and applied to the land. Results from the controlled microbiological transformation of organic materials under aerobic and thermophilic (high temperature) conditions. See biological nutrient.

Composting toilet

A toilet that is not reticulated to sewerage infrastructure, but degrades biosolids within the unit via managed aerobic decomposition. See aerobic digestion, biological nutrient, Environment note Urine-separation and dry composting toilet trial – demonstration in a secondary school.

Compressed earth block (CEB)

A mixture of dirt and clay that is mechanically compressed into a block form and often stabilised with cement or bitumen emulsion. Generally having a higher compressive strength and better weatherability characteristics than adobe. See earth construction.

Conditioned space

Any space within a building that is artificially heated or cooled. See active system, HVAC.

Cooling degree days

A measure of the number of days that the average daily temperature is above a predetermined comfort level temperature, eg 24˚C, such that cooling is required. The average daily temperature is calculated as follows: [maximum daily temperature + minimum daily temperature] / 2.

Cooling load

‘The calculated amount of energy removed from the cooled spaces of the building annually by artificial means to maintain the desired temperatures in those spaces’ (Standards Australia 2020). See heating load, HVAC, peak cooling load, peak heating load.

Coolth

Coolness. Refers to the ability to store coolness (usually in a thermal mass or as air) and redistributed to an internal space as required to passively lower ambient temperatures. See Environment note Thermal mass and insulation for temperate climates, passive design, passive cooling.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

An approach or model by which businesses integrate responsibility for economic, social and environmental considerations into their policies, activities and reporting. See Environment note Sustainability framework for practice, triple bottom line.

Cost-benefit analysis

A method of evaluating projects or investments by comparing the present value or annual value of expected benefits to costs. A useful technique for making transparent the benefits of upfront investments in sustainable design features or technologies, but it does require the conversion of sometimes intangible benefits to dollar equivalents. See payback period.

Country

‘Is broadly understood as a holistic worldview that incorporates human, nonhuman and all the complex systems that connect them. Country relates to First Nations Peoples’ cultural groups and the places to which they belong. It is understood in cultural, spiritual and tangible ways. An understanding of Country includes intangible ideas about place, Law, lore, language, customs, spirit, cultural practice, identity and kin. It is very important to recognise that First Nations Peoples’ ‘understanding of Country’ differs between groups, individuals and contexts’ (AACA 2021). See Caring for Country.

Cradle to cradle

Design, industrial, management and economic activities which together ensure that materials and products are considered and accounted for throughout their life cycle, such that once their current useful life is complete they are returned to new uses or functions rather than being relegated to the waste stream (McDonough and Braungart 2002). See circular economy, regenerative design.

Cradle to gate

An assessment of a partial product life cycle that considers all activities from resource extraction (cradle), transportation, refining, processing and fabrication activities until the material or product is ready to leave the factory gate (ie before it is transported to the consumer). Cradle to gate assessments are sometimes the basis for environmental product declarations. See cradle to cradle, embodied carbon, Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Life cycle assessment (LCA).

Cradle to grave

See Whole life carbon

Creosote

A timber preservative, used on both softwoods and hardwoods, a derivative of tar, not water soluble. Effective against both insect and fungal attack for timbers in ground contact or buried in sea water. Toxic and a severe skin irritant and if spilt can migrate through soil indefinitely (Willis and Tonkin 1998). Since 2003, creosote treated timber can only be used for applications such as power poles, vineyard posts and farm fencing in Australia. See also bio-accumulation, copper chrome arsenate (CCA), pigment-emulsified creosote (PEC).

Critical protection time (CPT)

A key determinant in the conduct of shade audits and subsequent design strategies to minimise exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). For a given site it is the time of day and year when protection from solar UVR will be most important at that site. Determined with site usage patterns as well as levels of UVR. See solar shading.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT)

A solid timber panel fabricated by gluing layers of timber boards together, with the grain alternating at 90 degree angles for each layer. On the exterior layer, the grain runs lengthways. Provides improved structural properties to panels where the grain is laid in all one direction. CLT can be used to form floors, walls and roofs. Buildings up to 18 storeys tall have been built using CLT for the structure.

Cross ventilation

The use of wind pressure, window openings and internal layout to naturally ventilate a building. Other methods of passively ventilating a building include using temperature and pressure differences to encourage air movement (stack effect). In the tropics air movement is required even in the daytime to enable people to cool by sweating. See Environment note Natural Ventilation in Passive Design, passive design, ventilation.

Daylight design

The use of controlled natural lighting methods in the design of building interiors, through skylights, windows, and by using reflected light for example. See lighting level.

Daylight harvesting

The use of natural light with artificial light systems to maximise the use of natural light while maintaining required light levels, using daylight sensors. See daylight design.

Daylight transmittance

The ratio of the amount of light transmitted through a window system (glass and frame) divided by the amount of light incident on its outside surface. Expressed as a number between one and zero, the smaller the number the less light is transmitted. See visible light transmittance.

Decarbonisation

The reduction of carbon. The conversion to an economic system that sustainably reduces and compensates for carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions. The long-term goal is to create a CO²-free global economy.

Deconstruction

In construction, referring to the disassembly of buildings to maximise the reuse, repurposing or recycling of building materials and components, thereby reducing waste. See also design for disassembly.

Demand management

With respect to the environment, refers to technological, cultural and economic initiatives which alter practices so that the demand for materially intensive or environmentally deleterious services and products is reduced.

Dematerialisation

The reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product and service, and thus the limitation of its environmental impact. Includes reduction of raw materials at the production stage, of energy and material inputs at the use stage, and of waste at the disposal stage (UN Environment Programme n.d.).

Design for disassembly

Design practices which reflect life cycle considerations and explicitly incorporate requirements to enable the reuse or recycling of components and materials of a product or building at the end of its current life. The utilisation of reversible joining methods and minimisation of complex composite materials which tend to be difficult to recycle. See deconstruction, design for life and Environment note Design for disassembly – themes and principles.

Design for life

A design philosophy and approach which incorporates consideration of the full life cycle of the product so that its ‘current-use’ life can be maximised and it can be readily returned to further use (via adaption, disassembly, recycling, reuse or remanufacture) at the end of its current use. See circular economy.

Direct gain

Passive radiant energy gain. Usually referring to solar heat gain admitted to an internal space. See passive design.

Discounting

Estimating the present value of a future payment or a series of cash flows that are to be received in the future enabling alternative investments to be evaluated and ranked. See payback period.

Displacement system

A type of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, where fresh air is supplied at a low velocity directly to the occupied space, often from outlets located near or on the floor. The cool air slowly rises at it heats and is extracted at high level return inlets and exhausted, thereby removing stale air and contaminants away from the occupants. Can have indoor air quality, thermal comfort and energy efficiency benefits. See HVAC.

Diurnal

Relating to or occurring in a 24-hour period, ie daily.

Diurnal temperature range

The difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures during a day (GRID-Arendal 2021).

Earth construction

Construction incorporating earth as a building material. See adobe, compressed earth block, pisé-terre, rammed earth, stabilised earth.

Ecolabelling

Method of labelling products which have passed an environmental assessment based on a third-party certification methodology, aimed at consumers. ISO 14024:2018 establishes guiding principles and procedures for developing Type I environmental labelling programmes (commonly known as ecolabelling schemes) (Standards Australia 2018b). See third-party certification.

Ecologically sustainable development (ESD)

‘Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland G 1987). The following principles are said to be able to assist in achieving ESD: (1) the precautionary principle (2) inter-generational equity (3) conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity (4) the inclusion of environmental factors in the valuation of assets and services. Australia's National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development defined ecologically sustainable development as ‘using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased’ (Ecologically Sustainable Development Steering Committee 1992). See environmental sustainability.

Ecology

The interrelationship of living things, including humans, to one another and their environment and the study of such interrelationships.

Ecosystem

A system of interacting living organisms and their physical environment. A level of organisation within the living world that includes both the total array of biological organisms present in a defined area and the chemical-physical factors that influence the plants and animals in it. Interdependence is considered integral to ecosystems. See also ecology, industrial ecology.

Embodied (upfront) carbon

A measure of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted during the production of an object at a specific point in the life cycle of an object. Accounts for all GHGs emitted in extraction and production processes, transportation and maintenance of that product to that point in time. Measured in CO² equivalents. Does not equate to embodied energy. See embodied waste, embodied water, whole life carbon. See Environment note Embodied carbon in buildings.

Embodied energy

The energy required directly and indirectly to produce a product at a specific point in the life cycle of an object. Accounts for all energy expended in extraction and production processes, transportation and maintenance of that object to that point in time. Does not correlate to embodied carbon as this is dictated by the energy supply mixes used up to that point. See Embodied energy notepack.

Embodied water

The net amount of water required to create and deliver a product through all stages of production, including the extraction of raw materials, transporting those materials, and processing them into the final product. See Environment note Embodied water of construction.

Emissivity

The relative ability of a surface or material to emit radiant energy, compared to a perfect black body at the same temperature and with the same area, expressed as a ratio.

Energy audit

An examination and analysis of energy use information with respect to building elements, environmental support systems (eg HVAC, lighting) and their operation and use patterns. Assists in identifying opportunities for improving energy performance. See building energy simulation software, rating tool.

Energy efficiency

In buildings and surrounds, employing strategies to minimise the use of energy required to maintain occupant comfort and building services. See building energy simulation software, rating tool.

Energy performance contracting (EPC)

A turnkey service for the implementation of energy cost savings measures in buildings where the savings are guaranteed against some measure of performance. Two main models for energy performance contracting include the shared savings model, where the cost savings are shared by the service provider and the client for a fixed number of years, and the guaranteed savings model where the service provider guarantees a certain level of energy savings to the client. See performance-based contracting.

Environment

Surroundings in which an organisation operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans, and their interrelations. See ecosystem.

Environmental impact statement (EIS)

A document, required by legislation, which describes a proposed development or activity, predicts the possible or certain effects of the activity on the environment, and outlines safeguards to mitigate or control environmentally damaging effects.

Environmental management plan (EMP)

A management and communication process to enable the range of environmental aspects and impacts of a given activity (whether a design process, a project, or consultancy or corporate operation), to be systematically considered, addressed, monitored and reviewed to ensure compliance with regulatory, project and organisational environmental requirements, policies and objectives.

Environmental management system (EMS)

Part of an overall management system that includes organisational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy. A means to achieve effective implementation of an environmental management plan (EMP) or procedures and ensure compliance with environmental policy objectives and targets. The international standard adopted for EMS in Australia is AS/NZS ISO 14001:2016.

Environmental performance

Measurable results of the environmental management system, based on an organisation’s environmental policy, objectives and targets (Standards Australia 2016).

Environmental policy

Statement by an organisation of its intentions and principles in relation to the overall environmental performance, and provides a framework for action and for the setting of environmental objectives and targets (Standards Australia 2016).

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

A certified EPD reports environmental data over the life cycle of products in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025:2006 (Also see Australian adoption AS 14025:2017). See International EPD® System.

Environmental sustainability

A complex and contested term that may be best defined as the ability of society and individuals to sustain the systems (natural and made) of life on which society and individuals depend to sustain themselves. See  environmentally sustainable design, environmentally sustainable development, triple bottom line.

Environmentally (or ecologically) sustainable development (ESD)

Characterised by the fulfilment of human needs while maintaining the quality of the natural environment indefinitely. The term ‘sustainable development’ came into general usage following publication of the 1987 report of the Brundtland Commission, which defined it as development that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland G 1987). The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and socio-political sustainability. See environmental sustainability, environmentally sustainable design.

Environmentally sustainable design (ESD)

The use of design principles and strategies which help reduce the environmental impact of buildings, eg by reducing the consumption of energy and resources, or by minimising disturbances to existing vegetation. Not to be confused with ecologically sustainable development, though the acronym ESD is frequently used for both terms. See environmental sustainability, environmentally sustainable development.

Evaporative cooling system

A type of air conditioning and ventilation system often used for residential and industrial buildings. Operates best in areas of lower humidity, functions by drawing warm air over water-cooled filter pads to create cool air which is discharged indoors and must be vented through openings to maintain efficiency of the evaporation process. See HVAC.

Extended producer responsibility

A strategy by which producers accept the responsibility for the environmental impacts of products and services beyond the point of sale. It focuses on recovering products at their end of life, rather than resorting to pollution abatement measures. Methods include product take-back, buy-back, trade-in and servicing. See design for life, post-occupancy evaluation.

Externality costs

Costs (negative externality) and benefits (positive externality) for goods and services that impact society but are not included in the market price of those goods and services.

Facilities audit

Audit of the physical and functional adequacy of a facility or complex, with particular reference to the building fabric and building services components, to provide an input for life cycle cost analysis, short-term maintenance planning, and long-term planning purposes. See life cycle cost analysis.

Factor efficiencies (Factor 4 and Factor 10)

Propose a radical leap in resource productivity and efficiency to reverse growing environmental damage. Factor 4 represents a 75% reduction in energy and materials intensity. It ‘refers to a hypothetical fourfold increase in 'resource productivity', brought about by simultaneously doubling wealth and halving resource consumption’ (International Institute of Sustainable Development n.d.). Factor 10 represents a 90% reduction in energy and materials intensity (Hawken P, Lovins A and Lovins H 1999).

FirstRate5

A house energy rating software tool used in Victoria. See building energy simulation software, rating tool.

Fly ash

A by-product of coal-fired power plants. The residue from the combustion of ground or powdered coal used to partially replace cement in the production of concrete, thereby lowering the embodied energy of concrete and reducing demand for cement and its component materials. See also supplementary cementitious materials.

Footprints

Are the environmental and social impacts of the processes that we engage in as we live our lives. Can be used as 'an LCA-based metric that describes the potential negative environmental impacts of a product [or] system, limited to a specific environmental theme or impact category. For example, carbon footprint (climate change impacts) (ISO 14067) or water footprint (water-related impacts) (ISO 14046)' ​(LUT University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland 2021). See handprints.

Forest management certification

Globally there are numerous forest management certification schemes that attempt to provide transparency in the timber market which is prone to the introduction of illegally logged products into the supply chain. When Australian timber products are certified, they will be certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or PEFC (Responsible Wood) standards. See FSC, PEFC, Responsible Wood.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

The FSC is an independent non-profit organisation that aims to set international standards for responsible forest management and practices. FSC Australia manages an independent chain of custody certification system for timber. Its management structure and membership base are drawn from three sectors – economic (including the timber industry), social and environmental organisations, thus engaging three separate stakeholder groups at its board level. Independent certification bodies are accredited under the FSC system, which assesses forest managers and wood processors against the approved FSC standards. There are three types of FSC certified timber available: FSC 100%, FSC Recycled and FSC Mix (See FSC website). See FSC Chain of Custody (COC) Certification.

Formaldehyde

In pure form, a colourless, highly flammable liquid or gas with a pungent odour detectable at one part per million, primarily used for the production of formaldehyde resins and plastics. Formaldehyde resins are commonly used in buildings as adhesives, surface coatings, foams and in the manufacture of laminates and sandwich panels. Can present a health hazard due to the tendency for off-gassing. Urea-formaldehyde is considered the worst while phenol-formaldehyde is more stable (Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment n.d.). See off-gassing, volatile organic compounds.

Free running

Operating a building without mechanical cooling or heating systems operation. See passive design.

FSC Chain of Custody (COC) certification

In order to sell wood with FSC certification, retailers must have FSC chain of custody (COC) certification, though this does not mean that all timber sold by that retailer has FSC certification. This certification is designed to ensure there is an appropriate chain of custody of timber products from the forest to the market.

FSC controlled wood

FSC controlled wood is not FSC certified timber and cannot be sold as FSC certified unless it is incorporated into a product that is subsequently sold as FSC Mix product (See FSC). No more than 30% of the components of any FSC Mix product can be from an FSC controlled wood source. To be certified as FSC controlled wood, timber cannot be illegally harvested, nor be sourced from forests where harvesting threatens high conservation values, nor from forests being converted from natural and semi-natural forest to plantations or non-forest use. Timber sourced from genetically modified trees can also not be certified as FSC controlled wood (See FSC website). See FSC.

Functional life

The time span in which a building can be expected to provide the required service at the required standard without changes to its design.

Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA)

A national, not-for-profit organisation that aims to drive the adoption of green building practices and administers the Green Star environmental rating tool. See GBCA website, Green Star.

Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS)

See slag.

Geothermal energy

Also known as ground source energy, it is the energy derived from heat stored within the earth’s crust. See ground source heat pump, renewable energy. 

Global warming

The average increase in the global temperature, in part due to emissions of greenhouse gases associated with human activities. The goal of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change, is to limit global warming to preferably 1.5℃, compared to pre-industrial levels (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2021). See climate change.

Global warming potential (GWP)

Numerical index that allows effects on global warming of various greenhouse gases to be compared, using the 100-year global warming potential (GWP) of carbon dioxide as a reference point where it has a GWP of 1. See carbon dioxide, global warming, greenhouse gas.

Greenfield site

A piece of usually semi-rural property that is undeveloped except for agricultural use. Considered as a potential site for expanding urban development and usually requiring new roads and services. See also brownfield site, greyfield site, infill development.

Greenhouse debt

Also called a carbon debt, a conceptual term pertaining to the amassed greenhouse gas emissions which a product, person, business, government or community may have already given rise to. To be sustainable, a product, service or structure must aim to ‘pay back’ the greenhouse emissions for which it is responsible through the net greenhouse savings which it enables across its life cycle. See payback period.

Greenhouse effect

The warming of the planet due to the increase in density of trace greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which have the effect of increasing the absorption of solar energy by preventing the outward radiation of heat from the Earth. See global warming.

Greenhouse gas

Any gas which contributes to the greenhouse effect, frequently described as ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ since carbon dioxide is the most abundant greenhouse gas. See global warming potential.

Greenhouse intensity

Known as emissions factor, the time series data about the mass of a greenhouse gas emitted per unit of activity, eg mass of CO² emitted per vehicle kilometres travelled. See greenhouse effect.

Green power

Electricity generated from clean renewable sources that do not produce greenhouse gas emissions during their operation. Purchased by energy suppliers on behalf of their customers and independently audited and verified. See renewable energy.

Green roof

Vegetated roof which has the potential to assist in mitigating poor urban air quality and urban heat island effect. Provides buildings with thermal and acoustic insulation, stormwater retention/evapotranspiration. Can increase biodiversity and occupant amenity. Extensive green roofs are a green roof covered in a light layer of vegetation, whereas intensive green roofs can support a wider variety of plants but are heavier and require more maintenance. See Environment note Green roofs for energy efficiency – a simulation study in Australian climates, regenerative design, urban heat island effect.

Green Star

An Australian, national, voluntary environmental rating tool for buildings administered by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). See rating tool.

Green wall (green facade)

Vegetation that is attached to the external wall of a building or structure to provide cover shade or screening or, in indoor applications, provide for gardens in limited space. See also green roof.

Greyfield site

Describes previously developed commercial properties and underutilised real estate that lacks the noxious ground contamination of industrial sites and other brownfields. See brownfield site, greenfield site.

Greywater

A general term for domestic wastewater that has not come into contact with sewage or faecal matter.

Greywater reuse system

A system where greywater (wastewater but not soil or black water), is collected, not treated and reused for acceptable purposes (Standards Australia 2021). See also greywater treatment system.

Greywater treatment system

A system where greywater is collected, treated and reused for acceptable purposes.

Gross energy requirement (GER)

The measure of all energy inputs which contribute to the embodied energy of a product. Includes a range of indirect energy inputs such as the embodied energy of transport infrastructures utilised in transporting materials, and direct inputs such as energy used in construction on site. As a measure of embodied energy, offers the most comprehensive measure of the comparative embodied energy, however as a preferred measure it raises problems with access to correct, comparable data. Arguably the use of the process energy requirement (PER) gives a more readily accessible, firmer basis for comparing the embodied energy performance of materials. See embodied energy, process energy requirement.

Ground source energy

See geothermal energy.

Ground source heat pump

Part of a passive system that provides heating and cooling using ground water and earth as a medium to reject or absorb heat. See geothermal energy, renewable energy.

Halons

Bromofluorocarbons. Organic compounds containing halides which can act as greenhouse gasses and ozone depleting substances. Used as fire extinguishing agents. See chlorine, greenhouse gases, ozone depleting substances (ODSs).

Handprints

Are beneficial changes or impacts that we cause to the wider world (natural and manmade), outside of our footprints. Can be used as 'an LCA-based metric that describes the potential positive environmental impacts of a user’s activities achieved by replacing a baseline product or service with the offered solution or improving environmental performance of the existing baseline system' ​(LUT University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland 2021). For example, a carbon handprint is the reduction of the carbon footprint of others. See footprints.

Heat gain

As applied to heat balance calculations (such as to size a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system). The amount of heat introduced into a space from all sources including occupants, people, incoming and reflected solar radiation, equipment, lights etc. Represents the amount of heat that must be removed from a space to maintain desired indoor conditions. See cooling load.

Heating degree days

A measure of the number of degrees per day that the average daily temperature is below a predetermined comfort level, or setpoint temperature, eg 18˚C. The average daily temperature is calculated as follows: [maximum daily temperature + minimum daily temperature] / 2 (Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology 2021). See cooling degree days.

Heating load

The amount of heat energy that needs to be artificially added to a space by the heating system to maintain the desired temperature (Australian Building Codes Board 2019). See cooling load, HVAC, peak cooling load, peak heating load. 

Heat sink

An environment or element capable of absorbing heat from another element with which it is in thermal contact.

High density polyethylene (HDPE)

A recyclable plastic made from petroleum. See recycling.

Holistic design

An integrative and comprehensive design approach that considers the interrelatedness of a projects parts, components systems, and subsystems, in order to optimise energy and environmental performance during the life of a project. See industrial ecology.

Hot desking

Where a workspace is shared between two or more people who use the desk at different times. A means to save on floor space.

HVAC

Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems. The equipment, distribution network and terminals that provide, either collectively or individually, the processes of heating, ventilation or air-conditioning to a building (Property Council of Australia 2001). See also active system, hybrid systems, mixed-mode ventilation.

Hybrid systems

Solar heating or cooling systems that combine passive and active elements. See active system, mixed-mode ventilation, passive design.

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)

A type of refrigerant used as a transitional replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Compared to CFCs, HCFCs have a lower Ozone Depleting Potential.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

A type of refrigerant used as a transitional replacement for chlorofluorcarbons (CFCs). HFCs are toxic and flammable. Compared to CFCs, HFCs have little to no Ozone Depleting Potential, but also a much higher Global Warming Potential (GWP). See chlorine, greenhouse gases, HCFCs, Montreal Protocol, ozone depleting substances. 

Illumination power density

Also called lighting power density. The total amount of power that will be consumed by the lighting systems in a space. Includes the lamps, ballast, current regulators and control devices. The total power density is arrived at by adding the power used and then dividing it by the area of the space (Australian Building Codes Board 2019). Units typically in W/m². See lighting levels.

Indoor air quality (IAQ)

‘Indoor air quality can be defined as the totality of attributes of indoor air that affect a person's health and well being’ (Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment n.d.2). See Acumen note Indoor air quality (IAQ), HVAC, IEQ, off-gassing, ventilation, VOCs. 

Indoor environment quality (IEQ)

The overall comfort of a building’s interior and the comfort and health of its occupants. Many factors may contribute to indoor environmental quality, including acoustic comfort, daylight and visual comfort, thermal comfort, passive design, ventilation, indoor air quality (IAQ) and the presence of pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other contaminants and pollutants released by certain building materials and finishes. See HVAC, IEQ, off-gassing, ventilation, VOCs. 

Industrial ecology

A concept and methodology through which an industrial system or process is understood in relation to its surroundings and other industrial systems in order to maximise efficiencies and optimise the overall environmental performance of the system. For example, symbiotic siting of complementary industries near one another so that waste from one industry can be used as a material input for another. For example, an operational data centre typically outputs large volumes of warm to hot water, which can then be used to indirectly heat the water in an indoor pool.

Inert waste

Material which does not decompose very easily and is virtually insoluble in water.

Infill development

A site within an already developed area. The site is likely to be in close proximity to built dwellings and existing services and amenities. See brownfield site, greenfield site, greyfield site.

Infrared radiation (IR)

The energy range just beyond red in the visible spectrum. The heat energy component of solar radiation (approximately 51%). With respect to the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases strongly absorb infrared radiation in the Earth's atmosphere and re-radiate some of it back towards the surface. See solar radiation.

Insolation

The total amount of incoming solar radiation received over a unit of area of the earth's surface (it can also refer to the solar radiation arriving at a planet's atmosphere). Sometimes referred to as solar irradiance. The amount of solar energy received over a planet's surface varies by season (or duration of the day), latitude (which affects the angle of incidence), transparency of the atmosphere (or sky cover) and ground slope. With respect to photovoltaics it is commonly measured in kW/m²/day. See solar radiation.

Insulating glass unit (IGU)

A hermetically sealed, multiple-pane glazing system consisting of two or more layers held and bonded at their perimeter, typically with a metallic spacer. Reduces thermal heat transfer as compared to a single pane glazing system. The gap between the panes of glass can be filled with argon, which further increases the insulation value as compared to air. See insulation.

Integrated design

A design process which mobilises multidisciplinary design input and cooperation. Prioritises collaboration between the various professional disciplines on the project team, usually with the aim of increasing efficiencies and optimising the sustainability performance of the built solution. See alliancing, BIM, partnering.

Intelligent buildings

Buildings designed with extensive use of sensors, microprocessor controls and automated systems able to detect, diagnose, and control responses to varying environmental conditions or operational requirements.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Assesses the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. See the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change website.

International Living Future Institute (ILFI)

A not-for profit regenerative design think tank based in the US. See Living Building Challenge, the International Living Future Institute website, regenerative design.

Inverter

A device which can change direct current to alternating current without utilising moveable parts. A key component required in photovoltaic systems to enable electricity generated by the system to be exported to the grid and to enable alternating current (AC) electrical devices to be operated using the energy generated on-site. See photovoltaics.

ISO 14000

A series of voluntary international environmental management standards. Provides a common framework for the management, measurement, evaluation and auditing of environmental issues. Internationally republished in Australia by Standards Australia as AS/NZS ISO 14000 series.

ISO 14001

Specifies the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS). An external certification authority can certify compliance. See environmental management system.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

A unit of electrical energy equivalent to a power consumption of 1000W for one hour, where 1kWh = 3.6MJ. A unit of energy generally used to describe electricity generated by a photovoltaic system. 

Kyoto Protocol

An international agreement reached in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, which extends the commitments of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In particular, it set targets for emissions by developed countries over the first commitment period (2008–2012), and foreshadows further action over future commitment periods. See climate change.

Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)

An engineered timber product made from timber veneers laminated with adhesive, used primarily for structural purposes. Generally sourced from plantation resources, the composite gives properties in many instances comparable to or better than common hardwoods that are often not available in larger sizes.

Landfill

Waste disposal site used for the controlled deposit of solid waste onto or into land (Standards Australia 1998). See waste.

Landfill gas

Any gas produced as the result of anaerobic decomposition of putrescible material – principally methane 60% and carbon dioxide 40%. Their negative impacts can be reduced by capture and reuse, eg to generate energy (TAFE NSW and EPA 1997). See greenhouse gas, methane, renewable energy, waste.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

An environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings managed by the US Green Building Council. See USGBC, the US Green Building Council (USGBC)’s website.

Legionnaires’ disease

A respiratory disease caused by legionella bacteria found in stagnant water, including some water cooled air-conditioning systems where the water stored in stagnant conditions between 30-40°C can lead to the colonisation of legionella bacteria.

Life cycle

Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation of natural resources to the final disposal (Standards Australia 1998). See design for life, life cycle assessment.

Life cycle assessment (LCA)

Also known as life cycle analysis. An objective technique for assessing the potential impacts associated with a product or process by compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs, evaluating their potential environmental impacts, and assessing and implementing opportunities to reduce their environmental impacts (Standards Australia 2019). See cradle to cradle, design for life, Environment note A practical guide to life cycle assessment of buildings, life cycle.

Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA)

With regard to buildings, is a method for assessing the total cost of facility ownership. It takes into account all costs of acquiring, owning, and disposing of a building or building system. It is especially useful when project alternatives that fulfil the same performance requirements, but differ with respect to initial costs and operating costs, have to be compared in order to select the one that maximizes net savings (Whole Building Design Guide 2021). See life cycle, life cycle assessment, life cycle energy analysis.

Life cycle energy analysis (LCEA)

A form of LCA that is of particular relevance to the building industry. LCEA is a method of assessing lifetime building energy. The aim of LCEA is to achieve a balance between embodied energy and operational energy over the anticipated lifetime of buildings. See Environment note Life Cycle Energy Analysis, life cycle, life cycle assessment.

Light emitting diode (LED)

A semiconductor material that emits light. Basis for a kind of highly efficient, energy-saving lamp. See CFL.

Light organic solvent preservative (LOSP)

A waterproof timber treatment. LOSP may include synthetic pyrethroids, imidacloprid, azoles or copper naphthenates, which are all pesticides, but as it uses a solvent such as white spirit to contain the insecticides and fungicides, it is less hazardous than other timber treatments. See bioaccumulation, CCA, creosote, organic solvents.

Light shelves

A means of deflecting incoming daylight deeper into an internal space. Generally horizontal projections with reflective surfaces placed either outside, half outside/half inside or fully inside a window, providing indirect light deep into an interior space, while reducing solar gain and glare. Effectiveness depends upon window height, room height and depth, and the dimensions, surface finish and positioning of the light shelf. See lighting level.

Lighting level

Also called illuminance. The level of illumination or ‘brightness’ usually measured in lux (with 1 lux = 1 lumen per square metre) which can be determined using a light meter. Australian Standards prescribes lighting levels for the different types of activities/spaces in a building.

Liveability

With respect to planning, refers to places which have liveable conditions such as services and amenities, security, identity, historical continuity, cultural significance and healthy living. See Environment note An Introduction to Socially Responsible Planning and Urban Design.

Living Building Challenge

An international net zero energy and net zero water building standard and certification program which relies on data from at least 12 months of occupancy. See Environment note Non-residential building environmental rating tools – a review of the Australian market, International Living Future Institute, the International Living Future Institute website, regenerative design, third-party certification.

Load

The demand for energy required at any moment to compensate for the difference between existing outdoor conditions and desired indoor conditions. See cooling load, hearing load.

Load collector ratio (LCR)

The ratio of the building load coefficient (heating load) to the collection area (eg north facing windows). LCR is an expression of the relationship between energy conservation and solar gain and can be used to compare buildings within the same locality.

Loose fit

See design for disassembly, design for life.

Low-emittance (low-e) coating

A very thin (<100nm thick) metal oxide or multi-layer coating deposited on a glazing surface to reduce its thermal infrared emittance and thereby reduce radiative heat transfer. Near-infrared transmittance may also be reduced depending on whether solar heat is to be rejected or admitted. Increases a window’s ability to insulate (leading to a lower U-value). See spectrally selective coating.

Materials recovery facility

Plant and equipment for sorting and pre-processing materials from fabrication, construction and demolition waste for resource recovery. See recycling.

Mechanical heat recovery ventilation (MHRV)

A system by which incoming external air is heat exchanged with existing internal air such that the thermal atmosphere of the building interior is retained more effectively. Energy loss or gain is minimised by the heat exchange process. See Environment note Passivhaus: the pathway to low energy buildings in Australasia.

Medium density fibreboard (MDF)

A reconstituted wood product used for construction panelling, trim and detail joinery etc. Generally comprised of softwood fibres and formaldehyde resin adhesives. Presents a potential health hazard due to fabrication dust and off-gassing with resulting lung, nasal and skin irritations. MDF products can slowly emit urea formaldehyde for months after manufacture. MDF is available in non-formaldehyde resin but the effects of the dust particles during off site and on-site fabrication and machining are still hazardous to health. See formaldehyde, off-gassing, volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Methane (CH4)

Flammable gas released from decaying organic material, animal digestion, natural gas, petroleum and coal production. A powerful greenhouse gas with a (100 year) global warming potential (GWP) of 21. It is possible to trap methane gas emissions from decomposing landfill (called methane recovery) and use the gas as a power source. See greenhouse gas, landfill gas.

Microclimate

The climatic environment in a separated or localised area.

Mitigation

See Climate change mitigation. 

Mixed-mode ventilation

A hybrid approach to space conditioning involving natural ventilation, ie openable windows (either manually or automatically controlled), louvres, vents or dampers combined with mechanical assisted air exchange. See active system, hybrid system, passive design, ventilation.

Montreal Protocol

‘The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer’ is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous ozone depleting substances. Its charter covers chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and phase down obligations for the 18 main hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Entered into force on 1 January 1989 and ratified by 197 states. Regarded as a prime example of international cooperation. See ozone, ozone layer, ozone depletion, ozone depleting substances.

Mud bricks

See adobe.

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)

A performance-based sustainability rating system for existing buildings. Commitment agreements are also available to commit to design, build and commission to a specific NABERS energy rating. Ratings include Energy, Water, Indoor Environment, Waste and Carbon Neutral. The rating provides a benchmark for building designs and owners against similar building types. See NABERS website.

National House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)

A national energy rating standard for residential buildings. It is a star rating system (out of ten) that rates the energy efficiency of a house, based on its design. See building energy simulation software, Environment notes Residential building sustainability rating tools in Australia and Mind the Gap: Predicted vs. Actual Performance of Green Buildings, rating tool.

Natural capital

The world's stock of natural assets which include geology, soil, air, water and all living things. From this natural capital, humans derive and create ‘ecosystem services’, which sustain human life. This differs from human-made capital in that natural capital cannot be produced by human activity. See Environment note Design for eco-services – Part A environmental services.

Natural cooling

See passive cooling

Naturalised

A non-indigenous species which continually self-propagates after being introduced to an area.

Natural ventilation

Ventilation by natural (non-mechanical) air flow through fixed ventilators, doors or openable windows due to differences in thermal and/or pressure gradients and relying on natural convection. Natural ventilation, unlike mechanical ventilation, uses the natural forces of wind and buoyancy to deliver fresh air into buildings. Wind causes a positive pressure on the windward side and a negative pressure on the leeward side of buildings. Buoyancy ventilation may be temperature-induced (stack ventilation) or humidity induced (cool tower). See building orientation, Environment notes Natural Ventilation in Passive Design and Climate Responsive Design: Cooling Systems for Hot Arid Climates, passive design, ventilation.

National Construction Code (NCC)

Is a performance-based code for building and plumbing, written and maintained by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) on behalf of the Australian State and Territory governments. The NCC is freely available online by registering at the ABCB website. See ABCB, Acumen note National Construction Code (NCC), BCA.

Net energy analysis

A method of evaluating the life cycle performance of energy efficiency features and devices, comparing the ‘energy pay back period’ (the energy used to obtain the energy resource) and the ‘energy return on investment’ (the energy produced by the resource).

Net present value (NPV)

Is the sum of the discounted present values of net benefits over the life of a project (asset or piece of equipment). Useful for making transparent the benefits of investment in ESD features (the financial benefits of which are returned over the life of the asset in operation) when compared to more conventional technologies or features. See also greenhouse debt, life cycle cost analysis, payback period.

Net zero whole life carbon

The status a building achieves when, and maintains it until, the amount of carbon emissions associated with both operational and embodied impacts over its nominated service life are net zero or negative. The ‘net’ zero status is achieved by offsetting unavoidable carbon emissions through renewable energy generation or other eligible carbon offsets approved under the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Buildings or equivalent frameworks (Prasad et al 2021). See Carbon offset, whole life carbon.

Night purging

The flushing out of air in an internal space, particularly with a high thermal mass component, with air of lower temperature and humidity levels, capitalising on diurnal temperature swings to naturally cool down built up heat from daily gains, thus charging the thermal mass with coolth for the following day. See coolth, natural ventilation, passive cooling, passive design.

Non-renewable energy

A source of energy that is not replaced in a relatively short period of time. Non-renewable energy includes coal, gas and oil. It is energy created by burning fossil fuels. Renewable energy includes solar, hydro and wind energy. See renewable energy.

Non-renewable resource

A natural resource considered finite in supply because of its scarcity, rapid depletion or extreme length of time to reproduce. Fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal are examples of non-renewable resources. See renewable resource.

Obsolescence

When a building or product is no longer considered useful, even though it may still be in good working order. Obsolescence is often a result of cultural change rather than of physical deterioration or failure and is thus something that is amenable to cultural change strategies to forestall its onset. The wastefulness of obsolescence can also be ameliorated through a ‘loose fit’ strategy. Types of building obsolescence include structural, safety, functional, sustainable and economic obsolescence. See design for disassembly, design for life.

Off-gassing (outgassing)

The emission of gases previously trapped in a material. With respect to human health, refers to emissions from a building product that are irritating, toxic or carcinogenic. Common emission sources include paints, plastics, fabrics, adhesives, synthetic floor coverings and laminates. See formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Operational energy

The energy used in the day-to-day operation of a building, facility or place, such as energy used for space conditioning (heating and cooling), cooking, refrigeration, lighting etc.

Organic solvents

Carbon-based substances used in a range of building products such as paints, adhesives and cleaning agents which are a health and environmental hazard in application, use and disposal. In contrast with water-based, solvent-free products. See off-gassing, VOCs. 

Organochlorines

Toxic, widely used, generally stable chlorine-based products resistant to natural breakdown processes. Are accumulated in food chains. See bio-accumulation, biomagnification.

Orientation

See building orientation.

Ozone

Triatomic form of oxygen (O³), formed in the troposphere, both naturally and by photochemical reactions involving gases resulting from human activities (photochemical smog). Formed in the stratosphere by the interaction between solar ultraviolet radiation and molecular oxygen (O²). Tropospheric ozone acts as a greenhouse gas. Stratospheric ozone provides a protective layer shielding the earth from ultraviolet radiation. Depletion of stratospheric ozone, due to chemical reactions that may be enhanced by climate change, results in an increased ground-level flux of ultraviolet (UV-) B radiation. Ozone is produced in small quantities during photocopying and laser printing and can irritate eyes, lungs, throats and nasal passages if present at above 0.1ppm (GRID-Arendal 2021).See Montreal Protocol, ozone depletion, ozone depleting substances, ozone layer.

Ozone depleting substances (ODSs)

Human-made compounds that includes, but are not limited to, CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, halons, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide. These compounds have been shown to deplete stratospheric ozone, and therefore are typically referred to as ODSs. See Montreal Protocol, ozone, ozone depletion, ozone layer.

Ozone depletion

The reduction in the concentration of stratospheric ozone due to chemical reactions caused by ozone depleting substances. Reduced stratospheric ozone concentrations have resulted in increased levels of ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth’s surface. See Montreal Protocol, ozone, ozone layer, ozone depleting substances.

Ozone layer

A layer in the stratosphere containing a high concentration of ozone that absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. See Montreal Protocol, ozone, ozone depletion, ozone depleting substances.

Participatory design

A design process in which all stakeholders of the project are included. Outcomes include a physical design and an increased participant awareness of the implications of a building’s production and future use. See Acumen note Design workshops (charrette), charrette, Environment note Social sustainability: creating places and participatory processes that perform well for people.

Particleboard

A reconstituted wood product generally manufactured from softwood and often containing formaldehyde resin adhesives, which can present a health hazard. See formaldehydes, MDF, off-gassing, VOCs.

Passive cooling

The use of design strategies such as cross and stack ventilation, night purging and thermal mass to passively cool a building. See Environment note Climate Responsive Design: Cooling Systems for Hot Arid Climates, natural ventilation, passive design.

Passive design, passive solar design

An integrated building design approach which considers a building’s orientation, layout, form and materials with respect to climatic conditions to maintain thermal comfort and reduce operational energy requirements. See building orientation, Environment notes Residential Passive Design for Temperate Climates, Climate Responsive Design: Cooling Systems for Hot Arid Climates and Natural Ventilation in Passive Design, insulation, natural ventilation, passive solar gain, thermal mass.

Passivhaus (or Passive House)

A rigorous, voluntary and performance-based standard that originated in Europe, with fundamental objectives of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. See Environment note Passivhaus: the pathway to low energy buildings in Australasia. 

Passive heating

The use of design strategies such as passive solar gain, an efficient building envelope and thermal mass to heat a building without using mechanical means. See passive design, passive solar gain.

Passive solar gain

Direct admittance of winter solar heat to a building via equator-facing (in Australia, north-facing) windows. See building orientation, passive design, solar heat gain.

Payback period

The period it takes for the returns on an investment to equal the cost of the initial investment. It can also be used to calculate how long it will take a renewable energy project to offset the greenhouse gases emitted during its construction (carbon payback period). See greenhouse debt, life cycle cost analysis, net present value.

Psychrometric chart

A graphic representation of the thermodynamic properties of moist air for use in the evaluation of thermal comfort criteria and the design of air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems (Aynsley 2014).

Peak cooling load

The delivered cooling capacity (in kW) required to cool a space down to the thermostat setting in one hour on the hottest day in the climate data file. See HVAC.

Peak heating load

The delivered heating capacity (in kW) required to heat a space up to the thermostat setting in one hour on the coldest day in the climate data file. See HVAC.

Performance-based contracting

With respect to energy, a technique where a contractor takes some or all responsibility for the installation, operation, management and maintenance of energy efficiency technology, adopting the risk for managing that technology and receiving financial rewards for achieving efficiencies. See energy performance contracting.

Permaculture

The design of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. Permaculture integrates land, resources, people and the environment synergistically. It is a holistic system applied in both rural and urban areas for small domestic to commercial scales. Elements include agriculture, biodynamic, organic, water harvesting and movement, renewable energy, natural buildings, micro forests, waste recycling, animal husbandry, aquaculture, appropriate and alternative technology, and social and community economic enhancement. See Environment notes Permaculture - Part A and Permaculture - Part B, biomimicry, ecosystem.

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)

Also known as fluorocarbons, are compounds containing only carbon and fluorine. Powerful greenhouse gases and by-products of aluminium smelting and uranium enrichment. See greenhouse gases.

Phase change material (PCM)

Salt or organic compound which stores and releases latent heat by changing chemical bonds through a phase transformation (eg solid to liquid – stores energy. Liquid to solid – releases energy). PCM is used in solar cooling and heating, PV Cells, waste heat recovery and hot water systems. See Environment note Phase change materials - overview, thermal mass.

Photovoltaics (PV)

Devices which convert solar energy into electricity by capturing photons of light from solar insolation (light) and convert it into electrical energy. Typically, solid state devices, often made from silicon and expanding to include technologies based upon a range of thin film and other material technologies. See Environment notes Photovoltaic Cells: How they Work and Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV).

Pigment-emulsified creosote (PEC)

A subclass of creosote. Currently viewed as being too toxic for use in the building industry. See also bio-accumulation, creosote.

Pise-terre

See rammed earth.

Plenum

A condition, space, or enclosure in which air or other gas is at a pressure greater than that of the outside atmosphere.

Plywood

An assembled, composite timber product, comprised of layers of softwood and/or hardwood (often rainforest) veneers, generally bound through heat pressing and the use of formaldehyde resin adhesives, with the direction of the grain in alternate plies at right angles. The formaldehyde content of some plywood products can affect indoor air quality issues. See formaldehyde, MDF, off-gassing, particleboard, VOCs.

Polyurethane (PUR)

A common plastic polymer used in the building industry. Previously produced via a foaming process using the blowing agent CFC 11 and water. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), powerful ozone depleting substances, are being phased out in accordance with the Montreal Protocol and replaced with HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons), which are far less powerful ozone depleting substances but remain powerful greenhouse gases. See greenhouse gases, Montreal Protocol, ozone, ozone depletion, ozone depleting substances.

Porous paving

Any paving system designed to reduce runoff and facilitate groundwater recharge by allowing stormwater to infiltrate into the soil. Different proprietary products are available for pedestrian and trafficable areas and where used in landscaping applications can reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. See stormwater, WSUD.

Positive development

Refers to built environments that have net positive ecological and social impacts, in addition to repairing the environmental damage caused by previous development, ie to retrofit urban areas to increase net ecological carrying capacity in cities to increase natural and social capital. See Environment note Positive Development: Designing for Net Positive Impacts, Living Building Challenge, regenerative design.

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE)

A systematic way of comparing actual building performance with as-designed performance, usually undertaken after the building has been occupied for at least one year, using building user’s feedback as the basis for evaluation. See Acumen note Post-occupancy evaluation (POE), extended producer responsibility. 

Potable water

Water that is satisfactory for drinking, culinary and domestic purposes and meets the requirements of the health authority having jurisdiction. Water fit for human consumption.

Precautionary principle

States that where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation, protect built heritage and protect against the impacts of climate change and resource scarcity.

Predicted Mean Vote (PMV)

An international standard predicting the thermal comfort of people working in a given environment. See Environment note Applying the adaptive model of comfort, thermal comfort.

Process energy requirement (PER)

The component of the gross energy requirement (GER) of a material or component which directly relates to its manufacture, generally thought to be within the vicinity of 50–80% of GER. In the absence of comprehensive life cycle analysis, considered a useful basis for comparing building materials and components in terms of their embodied energy. See embodied energy, gross energy requirement (GER).

Product stewardship

Managing the life cycle of a product or service from ‘cradle to gate’ or ‘cradle to cradle’ to systematically limit its direct and indirect impacts on the environment at all stages of its life. Involves taking a holistic approach. It is the environmentally sound management of products and materials from selection, fabrication, construction, demolition and recycling and re-use. See circular economy, cradle to cradle, design for disassembly, design for life, extended producer responsibility, life cycle, recycling.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

An international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that is primarily made up of representatives of the forest products industry. Unlike the FSC, it does not set specific standards but is an umbrella brand that incorporates different national forest certification schemes such as Australia’s Responsible Wood certification. This is intended to make the forest certification easier and more applicable to different types of forests. While it continues to make improvements, the PEFC scheme is still sometimes criticised by environmental groups for being too variable from country to country and not always addressing conservation and social issues satisfactorily. See also FSC, PEFC website.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

A thermoplastic polymer, mainly used in buildings for pipes and associated fittings. Associated with several adverse environmental impacts including harmful disposal methods, the addition of stabilisers of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium for some applications, the emission of VOCs during production and disposal, and introduction of hazardous phthalates into the environment. In terms of performance and environmental impact, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and fired clay are considered as preferable alternatives to PVC piping. See chlorine, off-gassing, VOCs.

Radiance

Brightness of light.

Rain garden

Garden that captures and infiltrates the rainwater runoff from adjacent paved surfaces. See Environment note Water sensitive urban design in the Melbourne Docklands – raingardens and bioretention tree pits.

Rainwater harvesting

Capture and storage of rainwater, usually from roofs, ready for treatment and use in a project. See Water conservation and harvesting in Adelaide, SA: four case studies.

Rammed earth (pise-terre)

Involves ramming a mixture of earth (sand, gravel, clay) between formwork to provide monolithic walling. Generally requiring less processing of raw materials and embodied energy than fired building materials. See earth construction.

Rating tool

A framework for identifying, setting and reporting upon environmental design and performance objectives for buildings. Provides a rating system (eg Green Star) through which to communicate the environmental performance and sustainable characteristics of buildings. Method of: (a) predicting the operational energy use/ greenhouse gas emissions and water use of a building, based on its design, or (b) measuring the actual performance of the building, in operation. Examples include NABERS, BASIX and NatHERS. See building energy simulation software, EDG notes  A summary of urban assessment tools for application in Australia, Mind the Gap: Predicted vs. Actual Performance of Green Buildings, Non-residential building environmental rating tools – a review of the Australian market and Residential Building Sustainability Rating Tools in Australia.

Recharge area

An area where water is absorbed into the earth and infiltrates a groundwater body. See stormwater, aquifer storage and recovery (ASR).

Reclaimed water

Wastewater that has been harvested and treated ready for use.

Recycling

Set of processes (including biological) for converting recovered materials that would otherwise be disposed of as wastes into useful materials and or products. Closed loop recycling – process in which the reclaimed output is used as an input to the same product system. Open loop recycling – process in which the reclaimed output is used as an input to another product system (Standards Australia 1998).

Reflective glass

Glass with a metallic coating to reduce solar heat gain which produces a mirror effect. See solar heat gain.

Reflectance values

Percentage of light reflected from a surface that produces an effect on the light of the room.

Refurbishment

The remodelling, refashioning and repair of a product or building. See renovation, retrofitting.

Regenerative design

A design process that seeks to positively build the evolutionary capability and potential of the systems the project is part of, so that human communities can be transformed into living systems enablers. Conditions for the ongoing co-evolution of natural and social systems are created, enabling them to increase in viability and health as the future emerges. See biomimicry, cradle to cradle, Living Building Challenge, regenerative development, restorative design, systems thinking.

Regenerative development

A process by which cities, towns, and other human communities bring themselves back into life-giving alignment with the ecological systems that support them. Regenerative development practice seeks to create a built environment and human systems that are capable of co-evolving with nature. See Environment note Regenerative development through LENSES with a case study of Seacombe West, Green Star, Living Building Challenge, regenerative design, WELL Building Standard. 

Rehabilitation

Action to restore, regenerate, renovate and/or improve a building, site or catchment. Usually involves action to improve past adverse environmental and/or social impacts. See regenerative design.

Relative humidity (RH)

The ratio/percentage, of the actual quantity of water vapour present in a given volume of air to that when the air is fully saturated (Aynsley 2014).

Re-lifing

Generally used in urban development to discuss an area of reduced activity in a city which through a design intervention has become more active. See greyfield site, infill. 

Remanufacturing

Industrial system and process whereby products and/or materials are refurbished for the same or a different use. Also includes the design which ensures the inclusion of features which enable products to be refurbished, upgraded or manufactured for other use. See design for disassembly, extended producer responsibility.

Remediation

Action or measures taken to lessen, clean-up, remove or mitigate the existence of hazardous materials existing on a site to certain standards or requirements (Davidson et al. 1999). See brownfield site.

Remnant vegetation

Any patch of native vegetation around which most or all of the native vegetation has been removed. May include corridors or islands of vegetation located on land with a variety of tenure.

Remote area power supply (RAPS)

See stand-alone power systems.

Renewable energy certificate (REC)

A form of renewable energy ‘currency’ equivalent to 1 MWh of electricity generated from a renewable source. Sources include small-scale solar, wind or hydro systems, or the power displaced by a solar or heat pump hot water system.

Renewable energy

Any source of energy that can be used without depleting natural reserves. Includes solar, wind, ocean/wave/tidal, hydro, geothermal, and biofuels (landfill gas, biogas, biomass). See non-renewable energy.

Renewable resource

Natural source of material that is capable of regeneration (Standards Australia 1998). See non-renewable resource.

Renovation

Renewing building fabric and installations to their former condition. See refurbishment, retrofitting.

Resilient design

Design that supports a system, community or broader society to resist, absorb, accommodate and recover from the impacts of a hazard. Resilient built environment design reduces vulnerability and therefore future disaster risk. It acknowledges that architecture is integrated within complex systems and that buildings operate at multiple scales. Resilient design is closely connected to sustainable design and sustainable development (Wilson and Lazarus 2020; Weisz 2018; United Nations 2009).

Resource depletion

The systematic reduction of finite resources from useful life, by complete consumption or by degradation (via use or transformation to forms from which they cannot be usefully extracted or remodelled for reuse) or by relegating them to the waste stream.

Resource recovery

Processes that extract material or energy from the waste stream. See industrial ecology, recycling, secondary resources (Standards Australia 1998).

Responsible Wood

A certification scheme that prior to 2017, was known as AFS (Australian Forestry Standard). The Responsible Wood Certification Scheme is underpinned by two Australian standards: Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708) and Chain of Custody for Forest Products (AS 4707). This certification scheme is endorsed by and is equivalent to PEFC (Responsible Wood 2020).

Restorative design

Design that repairs damage to an ecosystem and restores biodiversity. See regenerative design, Living Building Challenge.

Retrofitting

Improving the building fabric and installations for higher performance and new uses. See also refurbishment.

Reuse

Using a product again for the same or different purpose without further manufacture. See design for disassembly.

Revegetation

Reinstating, regenerating or replanting indigenous or naturally occurring site specific vegetation on disturbed land to preserve or restore biodiversity. See restorative design.

Reverse brick veneer construction

A method of construction that exposes the thermal mass (generally masonry or concrete panels) to the internal space and insulates the external fabric, thus capitalising on the heat storage potential of the mass. See passive design, thermal mass.

Reverse disassembly

Reverse manufacturing, in which the removal of screws, clips, and other fasteners permits refurbishment and reuse of some or all of the components and modules of a product. See design for disassembly, refurbishment, reuse.

Riparian zone

Land alongside creeks, streams, gullies, rivers and wetlands. These areas are unique and diverse, and are often the most fertile parts of the landscape.

R-value

A measure of the thermal resistance of a building element or material. Thermal resistance of a window, wall or other building element where units are measured in m².K/W (SI units) or ft².hr.°F/Btu (US units). The reciprocal of the U-value. See U-value.

Salinity

The presence of salts in soil, which results in progressive infertility of land.

Sandwich panels

Lightweight (metal clad) or high mass building elements with an interlayer of insulating material. See insulation, thermal mass.

Secondary resources

Materials or objects recovered from the waste stream which can be used to provide energy and materials for reuse and recycling (Standards Australia 1998). See resource recovery.

Section J

The energy efficiency requirements of the NCC Volume One that codify the thermal efficiency performance requirements for the opaque building components, glazing and roof lights of the building envelope. See Environment note NCC 2019 Section J and commercial building facade design, NCC. 

Septic tank

A watertight covered single or multiple chamber tank designed to receive sewage or sullage, or both, from a building that is isolated from or cannot be connected to a sewerage system. The waste is allowed to flow slowly, to separate solids from liquids by settlement. Organic matter is decomposed (digested) by anaerobic bacterial action, and the clarified liquid effluent either discharged to absorption trenches or pumped (collected) and transported away.

Service life

How long the building is being designed to last.

Shading coefficient (SC)

The ratio of the solar heat gain of a glazing system, compared to the heat gain through a clear single 3 mm glass pane under the same conditions. A similar term is solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). Both terms measure solar energy transmittance through a window. The relationship between SC and SHGC for transmittance is: SHGC = SC x 0.87. See solar heat gain, solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC).

Shading

See solar shading.

Shower tower

Passive cooling tower where air and water gently fall to provide cool water for reticulation and cool air supply to condition internal space. See passive cooling, Environment notes Climate Responsive Design: Cooling Systems for Hot Arid Climates and The integrated design process of Council House 2.

Sick building syndrome (SBS)

As it relates to people, a term used to describe conditions of illness or discomfort experienced by occupants that are associated with an indoor environment such as in an office or residential building. Factors include poor thermal, visual and aural comfort conditions, poor indoor air quality and the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). See formaldehydes, off-gassing, ventilation, VOCs.

Slag

A byproduct of iron manufacturing, ground into a powder and used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). By adding SCMs to concrete, a lower embodied energy product can be produced. See supplementary cementitious materials.

Social sustainability

‘Within the built environment, this means creating the physical, cultural and social places that support people’s wellbeing and encourage a sense of community’ (Edmonds and Palich 2013).

Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)

A measure of the incident solar radiation that is admitted through glazing, both directly and by absorption and subsequently released inward. Expressed as a number between zero and one. The lower a window’s SHGC, the less solar energy it transmits. See solar heat gain.

Solar heat gain

The heat gained due to direct and diffuse radiant energy from the sun, entering a building or falling on a surface and being conducted or radiated to the interior. See solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC).

Solar panels

See photovoltaics.

Solar power

Electricity generated from solar radiation. See photovoltaics.

Solar radiation

All forms of radiant energy falling on the surface of the earth and originating from the sun. Comprises infrared radiation (approximately 51%), visible light (approximately 47%), ultraviolet radiation (approximately 2%). Approximately 86% of solar radiation passes through a single pane of 3mm glass. Internal objects, surfaces and thermal mass are warmed by the solar radiation, they in turn radiate infrared radiation (heat). See direct gain, indirect gain, infrared radiation, solar heat gain, ultraviolet radiation.

Solar shading

The protection of a building from sunlight radiation by external (and sometimes internal) means of shading. Since the sun moves both seasonally and during the day, such shading is often adjustable. See critical protection time, solar radiation, insolation.

Solar thermal collector

Components used in buildings to enable the capture of solar thermal energy for direct heat transfer, eg solar collectors for solar hot water systems, solar air heaters, or a space specifically designed to capture solar thermal gain. See also photovoltaics.

Spectrally selective coating

Low-e coating on one or more surfaces of a glazing system whose optical properties vary with wavelength, so as to transmit daylight (visible radiation) while reflecting near-infrared and long-wave radiation. See low-emittance (low-e) coating.

Stabilised earth

Prepared earth for use in rammed, in-situ, adobe block construction, or compressed earth to which a stabilising agent such as portland cement or a bituminous emulsion has been added to improve its weather resistance. See adobe, earth construction, rammed earth.

Stack effect ventilation

The draught that is created by warm buoyant air as it rises in a tall confined space such as a chimney, stairwell, atrium or lift shaft. A means of naturally ventilating and cooling a building eg the use of a building element, such as a stairwell or shaft, with a top vent used to extract hot air out and induct cool fresh air at a lower level. See natural ventilation, passive cooling, temeperature gradient effect.

Stakeholders

Inhabitants, neighbours and the wider community affected by a project. Nature should be considered as a stakeholder when engaging in regenerative design.

Stand-alone power systems

Sometimes referred to as remote area power supply (RAPS) systems. Not connected to the power distribution system (grid) of an electric supply authority but supplied with power from one or more sources, including but not limited to photovoltaic arrays, wind turbine generator, micro-hydro generator or engine generator set (Standards Australia 2009). See photovoltaics, renewable energy.

Stormwater

The run-off due to rainfall from roofed areas, paved and unpaved areas and from water bearing ground (Standards Australia 2018a). See aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), porous paving, water sensitive urban design (WSUD).

Straw-bale construction

A method using baled straw (stalks of crops such as wheat, rice, oats or barley) where the bales are used as structural elements, insulation, or both. See insulation. See Environment note Straw bale construction.

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCM)

Byproducts of heavy industry used as cement extenders to partially replace cement in a concrete mix resulting in a lower embodied energy concrete. See fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS). 

Supply chain management (SCM)

Improving the processes and relationships that exist to support the provision of goods and services along a supply chain (ie a group of organisations that contribute to the provision of a final product or service). Environmental gains include greater efficiency in distribution, better environmental management practices and identification of market opportunities for environmentally preferable goods. See industrial ecology.

Systems thinking

Systems thinking is a holistic approach that focuses on the way that a system's constituent parts interrelate, and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. A systems thinking approach contrasts with traditional analysis, which studies systems by breaking them down into their separate elements.

Technical nutrients

Inorganic or synthetic materials manufactured by humans such as plastics and metals, that can be used many times over without any loss in quality, staying in a continuous cycle. See cradle to cradle.

Temperature gradient effect

The exploitation of different temperatures of air (and hence density and pressure) to create currents, thereby ventilating a building, usually by natural means. See natural ventilation, passive cooling, stack effect ventilation.

Thermal break

An insulation (or air gap) building component designed to stop thermal bridging by separating the interior and exterior skins of a building envelope. See insulation, thermal bridge.

Thermal bridge

A part of the building envelope where heat can flow freely between the interior and exterior environments, via a thermally conducting material or air gap. An example of this would be a metal stud within a wall assembly. See Environment note Air tightness and thermal bridging in buildings, insulation, thermal break.

Thermal comfort

Term used to describe ‘the condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation’ (ASHRAE Terminology, n.d.). The human thermal comfort standards, ASHRAE Standard 55 and ISO 7730, suggest two main models: Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), which is intended for application in air conditioned spaces, and the Adaptive Comfort Model which is intended for use in naturally ventilated spaces. Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) is calculated using the heat balance approach, a calculation which takes into account heat conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporative heat loss. See adaptive comfort, ASHRAE, HVAC, PMV.

Thermal insulation

Material having a relatively high resistance to heat flow. With respect to buildings, used to retard the flow of heat into and out of a building. Measured using R-value, the higher the value the more resistance the material has, and the better it insulates. See passive design, R-value.

Thermal mass

The ability of a material to act as a storage medium for heat or ‘coolth’, providing an ‘inertia’ against external temperature fluctuations. Measured as a function of a material’s specific heat capacity and its density. Materials suitable for thermal mass are heavy (or dense) with the ability to store large amounts of heat energy. Thermal mass construction materials include concrete, masonry, earth, water. See Environment notes Thermal mass and insulation for temperate climates and Thermal mass for cool temperate climates.

Third pipe reticulation

An additional network of piping to transport and distribute treated wastewater for fit-for-purpose re-use. Often coloured purple to differentiate from potable water supply. Sometimes referred to as ‘purple pipe’. See potable water.

Third-party certification

Environmental assessment of a product by an independent body (eg Good Environmental Choice Australia, Global GreenTag) declaring that specified requirements have been met. See ecolabelling, forest management certification, timber certification, wood product certification.

Timber certification

See forest management certification, FSC, PEFC and Responsible Wood.

Trigeneration

Also called combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP), the simultaneous generation of electricity, heating and cooling from a single fuel source in a single process. See cogeneration.

Triple bottom line

An accounting and reporting tool that measures an organisation’s sustainability against the three Ps: Prosperity (formerly Profit) (economic sustainability), People (social sustainability) and Planet (environmental sustainability). It is closely aligned to the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Trombe wall

A vertical wall built of a heavy mass material, separated from the external environmental by a glass wall and an air space. Heat absorbed by the wall is transferred into the internal space and the warm air between the mass wall and the glass can be directed into the internal space or vented externally as required. See passive design.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation

Electromagnetic radiation from the sun, with wavelengths shorter than visible light. UV radiation is divided into three bands: UVA, UVB AND UVC. The majority of UV radiation reaching the earth’s surface is UVA, the least damaging. UVC is completely filtered by the atmosphere and most UVB is filtered in the atmosphere. However, both UVB and UVA can be harmful to living matter when it reaches the earth’s surface. Artificial UV radiation can be used as a means of disinfecting air, water and other applications. See Montreal Protocol, ozone, solar radiation.

Universal design

The design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. See accessibility.

Urban form

The physical elements, pattern and density of land use and the nature of transportation within cities and towns.

Urban heat island (UHI) effect

A dome of elevated temperatures over an urban area caused by the solar energy and urban waste heat absorbed by the thermal mass within the urban area, which is then re-radiated. See green roof.

U-value

Conductive heat transfer coefficient. The ability of a material or assembly of materials to conduct heat when there is a temperature difference between one side and the other. In glazing, the lower the U-Value, the greater the insulating value. R-Value and U-Value are inversely related. See R-value, SHGC.

Vapour barriers

Non-breathable moisture barrier impervious to water vapour movement.

Ventilation

The changing or replacing of indoor air in buildings. The intentional supply of outside air to indoor spaces and also the removal or exhaust of stale air from such spaces. See adaptive comfort, HVAC, natural ventilation, thermal comfort.

Visible light transmittance (VLT)

The ratio of the amount of light transmitted through a window system (glass and frame) divided by the amount of light incident on its outside surface. Expressed as a number between one and zero, the smaller the number the less light is transmitted. See daylight transmittance.

Visual comfort

The perception of vision based upon relative brightness, clarity and even colour spread. Generally, glare free conditions and artificial lighting colours close to natural lighting are preferred options. See lighting levels.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Chemicals that contain carbon molecules and are volatile enough to evaporate from material surfaces into indoor air at normal ambient indoor temperatures (off-gassing). They can be natural or synthetic with examples from building materials including solvents, paints, stains, adhesives, carpeting, particle-board and other petroleum based products. They contain chemicals such as benzene or formaldehyde which can be toxic or carcinogenic to human health. See off-gassing, sick building syndrome.

Waste management

Strategies which will reduce the likelihood of on-site waste being produced, and that deal with waste when it is produced. Addresses the entire process from production to final disposal (Standards Australia 1998). See circular economy, extended producer responsibility, life cycle, obsolescence.

Waste

Materials and energy deemed to have no further use and are released to the environment as a means of disposal (Standards Australia 1998). See extended producer responsibility, life cycle, obsolescence.

Wastewater

The spent used water of a community or industry which contains dissolved and suspended matter (Standards Australia 2021). See blackwater, greywater.

Water sensitive urban design (WSUD)

Design that ensures that urban water management is sensitive to natural hydrological and ecological cycles. Integrates urban planning with the management, protection and conservation of the urban water cycle. See blackwater, Environment notes Water sensitive urban design in the Melbourne Docklands – rain gardens and bioretention tree pits and Water sensitive urban design in the Melbourne Docklands – wetlands and storage and reuse systems, greywater, stormwater, wastewater, xeriscaping.

WELL Building Standard

Promoting buildings with a human centred approach, improving occupant health, wellbeing and productivity (International WELL Building Institute n.d.). See Environment note Non-residential building environmental rating tools – a review of the Australian market.

White certificate

Also known as an energy efficiency certificate, represents an amount of energy saved through the implementation of an energy-efficiency strategy. See also REC.

Whole life carbon (WLC)

‘Refers to the carbon emissions resulting from the construction and use of a building over its whole life, including the demolition and disposal phase. WLC includes both operational and embodied carbon impacts. Whole Life Carbon is defined and widely used by World Green Building Council and other authoritative organisations internationally’ (AACA 2021). See embodied carbon, operational energy. See Environment note Embodied carbon in buildings.

Wood product certification

See FSC, PEFC and Responsible Wood.

Woonerfs

‘Literally “living streets” are roads that have been designed to incorporate devices that simultaneously slow vehicular traffic and encourage pedestrian usage. They are legally defined and designed so that drivers relate to other users as having equal priority’ (Donovan 2016).

Xeriscaping

The practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. In landscape design, using natural and drought tolerant species of plants and appropriate or efficient water management design to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. See water sensitive urban design.

Zero emission building

Building that has no net annual use or source-related greenhouse gas emissions from operation of services. Includes all energy demands or sources that are part of the building fabric at the time of delivery, such as the thermal envelope (and associated heating and cooling demand), water heater, built-in cooking appliances, fixed lighting, shared infrastructure and installed renewable energy generation (Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council 2011). See net zero whole life carbon, see Cutting lifetime residential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for net-zero emission housing definition.

Zone control

In buildings, the control of conditions such as lighting, temperature, humidity or air flow within a portion or zone of a building by means of manual or automatic control devices (such as windows, doors, switches or thermostats) that are applicable only to that zone. See adaptive comfort, passive design, ventilation.

References

• Australian Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) (2021) NSCA Explanatory Notes and Definitions [PDF], November 2021, Version 1.
• ASHRAE (n.d.) ASHRAE Terminology, ASHRAE website.
• Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) (2019) ‘Definitions’, NCC 2019 Building Code of Australia’, Volume 2, Amendment 1, Schedule 3.
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• Standards Australia (2009) Australian Standard AS 4509.1:2009 Stand-alone power systems. Standards Australia.
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• Sturgeon A (2017) Creating Biophilic Buildings, Ecotone Publishing, Seattle. 
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Further resources:

• Acumen glossary
• NSCA Explanatory Notes and Definitions
• Standards Australia National Dictionary of Building and Plumbing Terms