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ANALYSIS: On Thursday, the Morrison government introduced its HomeBuilder (insert trademark) scheme with the intention of supporting residential home builders that were starting to see work dry up.
It actually seems that some of the environmental optimism accompanying the COVID-19 “rupture” is surviving into the recovery phase. How and where is it being expressed and are there opportunities for its extension?
Listen to The Fifth Estate’s first podcast series, with new episodes released regularly. Our managing editor Tina Perinotto has taken to the mic to chat to the people on the frontline with the power to address the big ecological, social and financial problems of our time. We’ve called it “How to Build a Better World” […]
People’s lives have changed dramatically in Australia due to COVID-19. This event has tested not only our community resilience but also the infrastructure systems in place to protect human life and wellbeing.
Catch up on the news in sustainability.
As more people flock to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland for the temperate climate and breathtaking views, the Sunshine Coast Council is looking for ways to accommodate growth without compromising sustainability, liveability and affordability. The council has launched a new design guide specific to the region, complete with 10 guiding principles specific to the unique […]
It takes precision and care to construct an airtight building that’s good enough to pass the tough blower door test for Passive House certification. None of it cheap.
While the race to achieving net zero is on, we need to focus on acting.
News from the front desk: Five or six years ago the notion of cheap and plentiful gas available to our homes and offices might have been something to fear for its impact on climate and our greenhouse gas emissions.
The pandemic has exposed the gap between how we think the world works – based on the Newtonian paradigm focused on understanding each “part” in isolation – and how it actually works – as a complex, living system. Let’s not repeat past patterns in our post-COVID-19 world.
Australia’s federal government looks like it’s digging its heels in on gas but be warned, cooking with it is bad for your health. And while rangehoods can help, not all of them were created equal. In fact, the best ones are so loud people don’t turn them on.
There are a few jobs in top end sustainability roles being placed at present, but not a lot.
Stimulus spending on public housing is gets the green light, big banks support a green recovery and how much you could be saving by putting solar on your roof – especially when you’re using an extra $2.78 a day worth of energy working at home.
Carbon neutral certifications are multiplying under the government’s Climate Active program. Mother Nature is not necessarily impressed.
News from the front desk: If you’ve ever languidly wished you could vote for Jacinda Ardern as Australian PM you may not want to read further.
The renewable energy industry has weathered the effects of the pandemic according to the Financial Times of London, which reports one industry insider saying, “the pandemic does not affect whether the sun shines or the wind blows”.
In our latest episode of How to Build a Better World, managing editor of The Fifth Estate, Tina Perinotto, speaks to Caroline Pidcock, an award-winning Australian architect and advocate for sustainable design. Caroline has been pouring much of her energy into the Australian branch of Architects Declare as the group’s spokesperson, which involves working out […]
Despite pockets of silliness, like the freedom ‘n’ gun-loving idiocy erupting in the US, sensible minds are turning to what happens once COVID-19 restrictions are eased. Already, tensions are starting to appear between resuming past urban policy settings and the need to rethink them deeply.
Researchers in Melbourne are testing a new solar chimney that could cut energy use in half and possibly save lives in the event of a building fire.
The Australian Institute of Architects is today recognising the outstanding efforts of both architectural practitioners and advocates for the profession with the awarding of its 2020 National Prizes.
While the evidence so far indicates that increasing outside air circulation may help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in buildings, some common sense goes a long way for facility managers looking to keep occupants safe without wasting energy on overzealous air circulation.
Around 85 per cent of mercury-containing fluorescent tubes and lamps still go to landfill –poisoning our land and water tables – even though it’s illegal and Australia has signed an international convention. Simple changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) are part of the solution.
A $2.1 million affordable and social housing project by UnitingSA Housing, in the south-west Adelaide suburb of Kurralta Park, has been given the green light.
Water recycling in Melbourne, market researcher to assess customer satisfaction with Sydney’s train systems and other sustainable work to keep the wheels turning through the coronavirus times.
Infrastructure’s social licence to operate is in jeopardy thanks to the community’s construction fatigue and sheer opposition, with around $20 billion worth of infrastructure projects delayed, cancelled or mothballed over the past decade. Making these projects certified under a sustainability rating scheme could turn the tide.
Now that faster, safer and more efficient construction is more important than ever due to the coronavirus, will the construction industry have no choice but to modernise?
It’s time for wide-open creativity as we work our way of the pandemic crisis. What about more local manufacturing and production – and a big eye on circular economy as we go? New research that just received grant funding might help lead the way.
The tourism industry is in trouble but what if a new, more sustainable narrative for tourism rises from the ashes?
What will offices look like after the pandemic? Here’s what Unispace global strategy director Albert De Plazaola said when he spoke to The Fifth Estate from San Francisco on Tuesday.
OPINION: What’s caused this devastating pandemic that’s so far cost at least 207,000 lives (and it’s hardly begun) and wrecked the global economy?