Building design and the selection of materials, appliances, equipment and technologies can all contribute to the minimisation of both operational and embodied energy, while contributing positively to a building’s rating and performance.

This note follows on from the note: The environmental impact of building materials. It outlines Australian and international responses to materials sustainability, reviews what a sustainable material is, and the role of design. It reviews recent ...

Also known as life cycle analysis; LCA is 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 ...

Strategies for optimising the use of land with respect to social, economic and environmental criteria. Includes consideration of urban form: the physical elements, pattern and density of land use and the nature of transportation within cities and ...

This paper introduces phase change materials (PCMs) as an alternative energy storage methodology to current latent heat exchange systems commonly used in buildings such as thermal mass.  A potential application in light weight construction offers ...

Council House 2 (CH2) is a sustainable office building designed for the City of Melbourne. It meets the Council’s long-term need to house staff and breathes new life into an under-used part of the central city. The process of designing CH2 was ...

Social sustainability is about ensuring the sustenance of the diverse social relations that exist in healthy communities. Creating the physical, cultural and social places that support wellbeing and a sense of community involves a process of ...

Sydney is not short of terraces and semis that have been completely reworked with a modernist treatment. They are filled with light, planned for contemporary living on small sites and are generally great for dinner parties. However, they are not ...

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 ...

The CSIRO's Energy Centre at Newcastle has many innovative energy saving and renewable energy generation systems.  The Centre explores new methods of using a mix of natural ventilation and low-energy air conditioning to provide comfortable ...