This note was reviewed and approved for currency in November 2018. This note was prepared by Detlev Geard of the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES). It makes recommendations as to the application of thermal mass in ...

Read time: 29 minutes All buildings should provide a durable enclosure, thermally comfortable interior, good indoor air quality and energy-efficient operation. These measures can largely be met through an airtight building envelope with adequate ...

The Australian Greenhouse Offices in Canberra aimed to set new environmental standards, by halving the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of a standard building, achieving a better than 5-Star rating when assessed against the Australian ...

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 ...

Adapting building designs for climate change is about managing the unavoidable. While there is debate around what level of adaptation is needed, there is growing awareness that design practices need to take into account predictions of increased risk ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency by the Author in September 2018. The design and construction fields have a central role to play in moving toward a 'zero waste' economy. Total resource consumption, both upstream and downstream from ...

The note describes a new procedure for Land Resource Assessment (LRA).  It uses Multi-Criteria Evaluation methods (MCE) in a Geographic Systems (GIS) environment. As an example, the LRA method is applied in determining land suitability for ...

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was reviewed and approved for currency in October 2018, with qualification that some references and resources are now superseded.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 ...

Read time: 25 minutes There has been a tendency to focus on energy efficiency measures when reducing building-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – that is reducing heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation energy needs. However, the GHG ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in November 2018. The physical destruction accompanying disasters typically creates an urgency to rebuild and help survivors get back on track. There are inspiring examples of how architects and other ...