Good indoor environment quality (IEQ) can have a positive impact on the health, wellbeing and productivity of occupants in office buildings. Productivity benefits can potentially be financial as well as intangible in nature, and can be realised at ...

This note, originally published in August 2000, was reviewed by Stephen Pupilli in June 2005. Energy consumption related to Australia's non-residential buildings is expected to double between 1990 and 2010, unless a comprehensive program of energy ...

Post occupancy evaluations of buildings are noted for their ability to provide vital feedback regarding a building's performance in use. In addition to obtaining physical measurements of thermal performance and energy consumption, it is crucial to ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in October 2018, with qualification that some references and resources are now superseded. This note introduces the concept of design for adaptability as an essential strategy for creating sustainable ...

A summary update has been provided for this note in June 2023. This summary reflects updates to this topic on the National Construction Code 2022 bushfire protection provisions. The climate is changing. In the past decade Australia has experienced ...

Bushfire has long been a part of Australian landscape ecology and mythology, but climate change is now driving an increase in fire emergencies and a greater regulatory response. There are new levels of bushfire frequency, severity and ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in August 2018.  This paper describes how green roofs influence the energy performance of a hypothetical commercial office building in each of the Australian Building Code Board’s eight climate zones ...

This note discusses the difficulties currently being experienced in implementing Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) from a development perspective. It looks at what motivates developers and examines what is needed, either through mandatory ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in August 2018. Insulation and thermal mass are highly effective ways to reduce energy use and improve comfort in buildings. Insulation reduces the rate or speed of heat transfer through a building ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in November 2018. Life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) is a method of assessing both the operational and embodied energy of buildings over their lifetime. It is an easily-conducted form of life cycle ...