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 ...

The previous version of this note (Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings by Deo Prasad May 1995) emphasised the need for including fundamental concepts of energy efficiency such as climatically suitable designs and forms, benefits of tailored ...

David Baggs looks at the role of the built environment in our un-sustainability and explores the full spectrum of strategies and solutions as to how our buildings might become a pathway towards a low-carbon future. Baggs explores the concepts of ‘ ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in October 2018. The Passivhaus, or Passive House, standard is a rigorous, voluntary and performance-based standard, with fundamental objectives of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Originally ...

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 ...

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 September 2018. Increasingly, the designed solution to building performance is being replaced by the engineered solution. The reasons for this are a) the architectural profession’s valuing of the ...

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in October 2018. In the Australian subtropics, high rainfall, warm weather and humidity present unique challenges and opportunities for the architects tasked with designing eco-sensitive projects. The ...

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 was reviewed in September 2018 and has been retained for legacy. This article describes the upgrade of an existing government building, 55 St Andrews Place in Melbourne’s Treasury Reserve, utilising an unconventional design process and ...