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 > >

By Lynne Blundell There is a new mantra in sustainable engineering and design – “keep it simple and make sure it works in the real world”, says WSP Lincolne Scott and Advanced Environmental director, Matthew Jessup. It is a philosophy, he believes, that will help new developments meet the growing emphasis ...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 > >

17th December 2009 - A new report by UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) was tabled at the same meeting. "Buildings and Climate Change: summary for Decision Makers" highlights opportunities for drastic emission reductions in the building sector and shows how these opportunities can be harnessed. "No government - ...Read More > >

By Andrew Pettifer FAVOURITES - 20 June 2009 - Fans of Dr Seuss who have looked past the Cat in the Hat may be familiar with the story of the inept Sneetches and the competitive instincts aroused between those with “stars upon thars”  and those whose bellies are not so endowed. I ...Read More > >

AWARDS: 2 December 2009 - Waterman AHW has won the Excellence in Sustainability Award from the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating for its work on Workplace6, the first 6 Star Green Star As Built Office Building in New South Wales. Among other AIRAH awards, announced at on 19 ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto If you put your prize building up for regular public monitoring, you have to be prepared for results to sometimes let you down. At first glance that seems to be the case, according to Peter Szental, owner and developer of one of Australia’s most closely monitored buildings, the Szencorp ...Read More > >

- Simon Wild - Cool Wall workshops foster knowledge sharing and a better green building industry By Tina Perinotto Residents near Glebe in Sydney’s inner west will be invited to be part of a "Cool Wall” workshop to flush out innovative sustainable ideas for a major urban redevelopment on ...Read More > >

FAVOURITES- From The Atlantic magazine, some excerpts from the article, The Elusive Green Economy, by Joshua Green: “The best way to get an idea of what a green future might look like is to visit Silicon Valley. It’s impossible to convey how otherworldly the place felt this spring. While the rest ...Read More > >

In a move that underlines its growing global activities and alignment with the WSP group of companies, Australian green engineering group Lincolne Scott has re-branded as WSP Lincolne Scott. The re-branding brings significant benefits to both organisations. For Lincolne Scott it means access to the extensive international network of the WSP ...Read More > >

A sustainable and colourful redesign of an Adelaide building has helped to both reposition the building and rebrand the city’s Light Square precinct, according to the building’s designers. Designed by Adelaide architects Hames Sharley, the refurbished building at 70 Light Square is the first in Adelaide to receive a 4 star ...Read More > >

CASE STUDY: The Melbourne Convention Centre won not only the Built Environment Award in the 2009 Banksia Awards, announced in July, but it was also the first convention centre in the world to be awarded [the equivalent of] a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating by the Green Building Council ...Read More > >

FAVOURITES - 10 August 2009 - Winner of the Sustainable Architecture Award at the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Victorian Chapter Awards was Lend Lease building, The Gauge. Located in Victoria Harbour in the Docklands precinct, construction of the project commenced in 2005 and was completed in April 2008 and achieved ...Read More > >

by Damien Leclercq and Shannon Mason - Small scale wind energy has recently gained a lot of interest, particularly in the urban context, due to the general drive for sustainability and the appeal of the technology. But there are limits to what it can do. Wind energy is one way of generating ...Read More > >

10 July 2009 -  BRIEF - Michael Pawlyn, founder of British architectural practice Exploration, took on climate sceptic Bjorn Lomborg at the British Council for Offices 2009 conference in Edinburgh held on 20-22 May. Speaking after Lomborg, who did not agree to his session being videod, Pawlyn tackled Lomborg’s arguments head ...Read More > >

by Patrick Fogarty... 19 May 2009 - Few people understand the impact that the computing world has on our carbon footprint. This is despite the fact that data centres, the work horses that support the internet and the growth in remote computing, are massive power users. The good news is that ...Read More > >

by Tina Perinotto FAVOURITES - 4 June 2009 - As the rest of the developed world sheds staff and downsizes, global engineer MWH is on the expansion trail. The drivers are the emerging climate change industries ranging from carbon capture in Mallee eucalyptus plants to storm surge adaptation work for local ...Read More > >

  by Lynne Blundell... 26 May - Smart Light Sydney kicked off  with Brian Eno's spectacular light show on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.  Eno's Lighting the Sails is part of Light Walk, a series of light art sculptures, interactive and performance-based art displays from local and international design luminaries and artists ...Read More > >

One of the world’s iconic office towers, New York’s Empire State Building, is going seriously green, cutting energy consumption by up to 38 per cent and saving around $US4million in energy bills in a major refurbishment. Owner of the building, The Empire State Building Company, is spending around $US20million on environmental ...Read More > >