31 August 2010 - The National Association of Women in Construction last week awarded its prestigious Rider Levett Bucknall Crystal Vision Award to CEO of Lend Lease Tony Costantino and principal of Arup Marianne Foley. NAWIC’s NSW Chapter President Bridgeen Rocks praised both winners for their contributions towards promoting women working ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell In the six years since Melbourne-based LAB Architecture Studio started working in China the sustainability landscape has changed dramatically. Other Australians too have found the country moving fast on its sustainability agenda- especially once the authorities get behind an initiative. Nanjing,  for instance, is almost a forest of ...Read More > >

25 August 2010 - It's not often that a building exceeds its targetd NABERS Energy rating, but the five-star building at 66 Waterloo Road, at Macquarie Park in Sydney has done just that after a workout by PC Thomas'  Team Catalyst consultancy. Develped by Stockland and designed Team Catalyst, the 10,000 ...Read More > >

Brief - 11 August 2010 - A twin tower development in Singapore designed by designed by Denton Corker Marshall and Architects 61 has been awarded the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Core & Shell Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council (click here to view the case study). Developed ...Read More > >

11 August 2010 – A lift that generates kinetic energy is one of the features that helped the Asia Square twin tower development in Singapore win a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Core & Shell Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council. Developed by MPGA and designed by Denton ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc 28 July 2010 - Design team Woods Bagot and Buro Happold have launched a zero energy, carbon neutral sustainable development project to be piloted on China’s Yangtze River. Zero Emissions Design (Zero-E) is designed as a new model for large-scale sustainable developments, aiming to advance the construction industry’s contribution ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc 28 July 2010 - The introduction of tougher energy standards for housing has spurred a huge jump in demand for sustainable kit homes for one Queensland company. According to Southport based Nathan Lude, his company Advantage Lifestyle which markets a sustainable kit home package, experienced a massive 3000 web-based ...Read More > >

Artists impression of an Icebergs site in New York City Brief – 13 July, 2010 – Woods Bagot New York has initiated a  “super-green” building system that reimagines and revitalises stalled construction sites as 100 per cent recyclable, high performance inflatable temporary “Icebergs” that can be used for a variety of ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc 7 July, 2010 - Frasers Property Australia has received approval for its Central Park development on Broadway in Sydney’s southern CBD, with construction of the project’s two residential towers to begin before the end of 2010. Managing director of Fraser Property Australia Dr Stanley Quek said that the company ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell FAVOURITES - 15 April 2010 -Susan Roaf doesn’t have much time for architects. She thinks that most are little more than “building hairdressers” and she accuses the profession of undermining the fight against climate change. Roaf, a well known architect, author on sustainable buildings, and a professor of architectural ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc 29 June 2010 –Westfield Group’ refurbished 100 Market Street commercial tower, part of its major Sydney CBD redevelopment project, has achieved a six-star Green Star Design v2 rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. With a total area of 30,000 square metres of office space below Sydney Tower, ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc 25 June 2010 - Bond University’s Mirvac School of Sustainable Development building has been awarded the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Szencorp Green Building Award. The first educational building in Australia to achieve a 6 Star Green Star – Education Pilot Certified Rating for its sustainable ...Read More > >

Brief - 9 June, 2010 - The Queensland Government has appointed Umow Lai to master plan the new $1.97 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital. Umow Lai’s team will provide technical and documentation advice as well as a full range of engineering services, including mechanical, electrical, fire, communications, hydraulics, lifts, civil and ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell 21 May 2010 - The sustainable property sector is littered with tools – tools to measure, to assess, to rate – to give insight into an increasingly complex area. Every other week, it seems, there is a new tool or piece of software. But is there a need ...Read More > >

13 May 2010: Investa’s Ark building officially opened today, adding a landmark sustainable building to North Sydney’s skyline. North Sydney mayor, Genia McCaffery, unveiled two pieces of significant public art at the building’s official opening - a painting on the foyer ceiling by Aboriginal artist Freddie Timms and a sculpture sited ...Read More > >

Brief - 10 May 2010 - Stockland once again has affordable housing in its sights with the announcement late last week that it will offer discounts of around $30,000 on over 100 of its home and land packages in Western Australia, this time with the help of the Rudd Government. As reported by ...Read More > >

28 April 2010 - DesignEX has announced the winners of its new product awards at a ceremony held yesterday at Sydney Town Hall. The awards came after the close of the DesignEx design and architecture exhibition held from 22-24 April at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. Judging was based ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell 14 April 2010 - There could be light at the end of the tunnel for cogeneration projects seeking co-operation from energy agencies. In a victory for precinct-style power generation, a proposed shared cogeneration project between The University of Queensland and the Royal Brisbane Hospital has received support from ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 8 April 2010 - The updated Building Code of Australia is about to hit the market next month – on 1 May – but many architects and consultants have little idea how significant the changes will be, especially for glazing commercial buildings. What’s likely is a huge reduction of ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc CASE STUDY - 6 April 2010 - Sydney Water has bolstered its  environmental credentials with their newly built corporate headquarters at Parramatta earning a 5 Star Green Star - Office As Built v2 rating by the Green Building Council of Australia. The One Smith Street building, designed by Denton ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell FAVOURITES: 25 March 2010 - The Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star rating system for buildings is undergoing a fundamental shift. It is a philosophical shift that involves working more closely with industry, particularly for rating building materials. The GBCA says this is a positive move that ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell 30 November 2009 - There has been a battle going on. It is a battle between sections of the forestry industry and the Green Building Council of Australia and so far it has taken place behind closed doors. But it is gathering pace and the big guns have ...Read More > >

Landcom's Precinx tool is a winner By Tina Perinotto In the sustainability revolution, things are getting serious. You can tell by  the  number of  ratings tools that are under way. It’s as if the time for talk and promises and green bling are over and the industry wants “real measures” for “real ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell FAVOURITES - 2 OCTOBER 2009 - A new life cycle assessment tool being developed by a consortium of industry and government bodies is set to raise the sustainability bar for building materials and to push manufacturers to be more competitive and innovative. It should also help cut through the ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto FAVOURITES - 15 January 2010 - The Green Building Council of Australia is seeking public comment on its revised PVC credit, which paves the way for some PVC products used in flooring, pipes and conduit to contribute to a green star rating. GBCA chief executive, Romilly Madew, said ...Read More > >

21 February 2010 - While architects, engineers and developers are learning the “green” game, so too are Australia’s blue collar construction workers. And at the forefront of change will be plumbers who deliver the majority of energy consumed in buildings. According to the Green Building Council of Australia major re-training is ...Read More > >

15 February 2010 - Tracy Wakefield, managing director of Appalachian Log Homes responded to our article on timber, Timber: complex, sustainable and good in bushfires in a recent letter published here. Timber is highly resilient to fire, Dr Wakefield says in this article, which develops the theme in greater depth. With ...Read More > >

The forestry industry and union have been stirring up controversy on the way Green Star ratings account for timber sustainability certifications. Now Lynne Blundell looks at the underlying sustainability of timber and how it stacks up against other materials.The debate over which construction material is the most sustainable – timber, ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell Despite widespread criticism, some innovative designs are starting to emerge in the Rudd Government’s schools construction program, with the private and independent schools sector making the most of the funding opportunity to push through concepts that may otherwise have been stymied by red tape. Chris Johnson, former Government Architect ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell As the effects of global economic conditions continue to impact across Australian office markets, with rising vacancies and increasing incentives, two government departments in Melbourne are taking the opportunity to strike new property deals and move to more sustainable buildings. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Melbourne Water are ...Read More > >