This note discusses how the quantity surveyor's skills can be harnessed in the development of environmentally sustainable design.  It focuses on the skills of managing quantity and the relationship of quantity to cost and environmental performance.

This note was reviewed and approved for currency by the Author in September 2018. Without the virtually free services of nature like clean air and water, humans would not last long. Natural systems can be incorporated in existing urban structures or ...

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 ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in October 2018. This report describes water sensitive urban design (WSUD) initiatives in the Melbourne Docklands and outlines experiences from design, construction and operational phases.

Using lightweight technologies, such as precast cellular concrete wall panels, provides an opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of construction materials, through the general reduction in materials usage, reduced transportation and ...

This note, originally published in November 2000, was reviewed by John Todd in August 2005. This summary page includes recent updates to the topic since publication. Air pollution in the sprawling Australian suburbs and many rural cities ...

This note was reviewed and retained for legacy in November 2018 in the context of its publication date, with the qualification that some references and examples are now superseded. This paper builds an argument that is developed more fully in the ...

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 ...

Read time: 18 minutes Water is necessary for human survival, but it is also a key ingredient in the production of construction projects. Increasing water scarcity means that we must reduce water use and improve water efficiencies across all human ...

While concrete is the most widely used building material in the world with many architectural and engineering benefits, it is associated with a high environmental cost that somewhat offsets this benefit. Previous EDG papers have investigated ...