During the twentieth century the earth warmed by about 0.6°C, primarily due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Consequent to this were changes to the characteristics of climatic patterns all over the earth that can be linked ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in November 2018. While architects and planners don’t seek to disadvantage communities, the incremental impacts of the way towns and cities are designed is having exactly that effect when it comes to ...

The primary intention of passive design is to create a thermally comfortable building with reduced demand on mechanical (active) forms of heating, air conditioning and ventilation. This paper provides design practitioners with a general overview of ...

This note outlines how architects can use the design of buildings to help create sustainable transport systems and a more vibrant public domain. Traditionally, architecture has been mainly concerned with the internal efficiency of buildings. However ...

This note was reviewed and retained for legacy in October 2018, with the qualification that some references are now superseded. In order to deliver sustainability in the built environment, planning policies and statutory requirements need to ...

Water heating accounts for around a quarter of household energy use in Australia. Low-energy water heating systems can reduce energy used for heating water by 60 to 80 per cent – or more – depending on the system type and location. This paper ...

This note was reviewed in October 2018 and retained for legacy.  Energy analyst and photovoltaics (PV) lecturer Muriel Watt provides an up-to-date overview of PV technology and markets in Australia. Watt shows that new technologies and lower costs ...

As an introduction to both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing, this article describes GIS and explains its components and applications. The basic components of remote sensing such as the electromagnetic spectrum, spectral, ...

International research and product development has resulted from partnerships between the research community and the world's leading glass, window and skylight companies.  This has led to many new options in the design of windows, skylights and ...

This note highlights some of the fundamental concepts that underpin biophilic design and introduces designers to some basic principles and tools that can help develop relevant capabilities within practices to create environments that truly connect ...