This paper and its companion paper summarise reports published by the consulting firm GHD in 2003 and 2009 and in particular summarises final results of a two year trial of 6 urine-separating dry composting toilets and 2 waterless urinals at a new ...

The Passivhaus, or Passive House, standard is a rigorous, voluntary and performance-based standard, with fundamental objectives of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Originally from central Europe, Passivhaus is finding traction in the ...

Exploring how sustainable design has been implemented in new and retrofitted commercial case studies including retail, mixed-use, office and government projects. The case studies provide briefing, program, procurement and process insights.

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 ...

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 ...

Climate responsive design and traditional design elements of the Persian Gulf may provide a basis for low-energy design. Current building models employed in the United Arab Emirates are often unsuited to the region's climate, causing massive cooling ...

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 ...

The way we form our urban areas, the spaces they create and the values they embody, have a profound effect on the quality of people’s lives. Urban designer Jenny Donovan draws on the work of Abraham Maslow to present a model for socially responsible ...

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 ...

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 ...