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Brisbane could get another building that “breathes”, with plans lodged with the city’s council for a six-star Green Star commercial tower in the CBD. The 46 storey BVN-designed tower at 25 Mary Street will be accessed from a state heritage-listed synagogue, which will be retained and revitalised for ongoing use by the Brisbane Hebrew Congregation. A […]
Lobsters have long inspired top chefs in high-end restaurants. Now, their tough outer shells have become a source of inspiration for stronger 3D-printed concrete.
According to Brisbane-based architect Russell Hall, governments weaponise developers with the right to inflict buyers with the developer’s whims as conditions of purchase via covenants. He says this can make homes unaffordable and unsustainable.
As one of the most recognisable brands in Australia, Woolworths Group has set itself an ambitious goal: 100 per cent green energy by 2025 and net positive emissions by at least 2050. But as the country’s sixth largest electricity user, with almost 3300 stores that need to be kept cold, large-scale refrigeration units lining the walls […]
Builders could be the missing link in sustainability across the built environment, according to Northrop sustainability manager Chris Buntine. And as the coordinator of Engineers Declare, he says there’s a lot more that can be done by engineers too.
AustralianSuper’s 25 per cent share in Assemble Communities has buoyed the innovative Melbourne-based developer that offers renters the option to buy after five years in some developments. In 2020 it’s brought on a massive 17 new staff.
Governments should be investing in home energy upgrades, now. Improving home energy efficiency is a good investment at the best of times: it cuts power bills, makes homes healthier, and reduces emissions. But the Coronavirus pandemic and the job losses it has caused mean that now is a particularly important moment for governments to back […]
The Fifth Estate asked architect Shaun Carter and Australian Institute of Architects chief executive Julia Cambage what 2021 is likely to bring.
Co-CEO of Australian architecture studio, BVN, Ninotschka Titchkosky, talked to The Fifth Estate ahead of last month’s Building Circularity conference about the importance of technology, low-carbon materials and innovation.
With the economic impacts of the Covid-19 crisis deepening the challenge of reaching international energy and climate goals – according to the annual update on efficiency trends from the International Energy Agency – there are major hurdles standing in the way of the net zero carbon pathways being offered by governments in Europe and the […]
Building designers, it seems, are hot property for associations wanting to represent them.
An electricity deal struck for both the good of the planet and thousands of residential tenants has been labelled a win-win by academics.
News from the front desk, Issue 508: You just know when a piece of news is going to have a big impact. Last week it was that two global giants of the architectural world had resigned from Architects Declare in the UK. The reason? That both, Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects, work on […]
Joost Bakker is one of sustainability’s most provocative advocates. He challenges cherished ideas and leaves nothing to sentiment. His latest project in Melbourne is no different. He doesn’t care for timber, says food needs to be grown in the home, and that off grid will be the future.
New research commissioned by the NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has revealed that the high cost of digital technologies is a barrier for many builders, especially smaller operators. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is on the case.
Life in a manufactured home estate – a more permanent iteration of a caravan park where residents live in relocatable homes – is sold as an affordable way to retire among people in the same age bracket. But new research shows it may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
Engineering services firm Meinhardt Group has continued its aggressive growth strategy to reassert itself as a top player in the Australian market. Among recent activity it’s hired sustainability and integrated design advocate Darren Bilsborough to head the ANZ building services team.
The merits and challenges of working in the office compared to working at home have been discussed at length, with pros and cons associated with both. So what about having the best of both worlds, such as a shared work space in your apartment block?
What’s good enough action when the planet is facing a climate emergency?
The top end of town tends to hog the limelight when it comes to sustainability, but a financially rewarding opportunity lies in wait to turn C and D grade stock into high energy performers. With the Clean Energy Finance Corporation as a cornerstone investor, an EG real estate fund is upgrading four mid-tier underperforming buildings […]
It may seem unthinkably soon, but last weekend’s heat wave ushered in the start of Australia’s next bushfire season. It’s time to ask if we are keeping our homes, businesses and loved ones safe.
The super-successful building operational energy performance rating scheme pioneered in Australia has launched in the UK following 18 months of detailed trials to adapt it to the UK environment.
A recent study from the US shows that buildings certified against the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building program by the US Green Building Council have accounted for higher rates of injury than comparative non-LEED buildings.
And thus, the illustrious Dominic Perrottet came swinging in on a wrecking ball, invoking perhaps Miley Cyrus and her infamous 2013 music video, out to erase a hit list of buildings which he has declared blemishes blighting the beauty of Sydney – from the MLC Centre to the Cahill Expressway, from Sydney Aquarium to every Brutalist Building, ever.
The Oceania region topped the GRESB 2020 Real Estate Results this week, as participation in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) benchmark leapt 22 per cent.
A new hotel sitting atop six storeys of commercial office space in Melbourne’s CBD may not look that different from the neighbouring glass-encased development, but is in fact hailed one of the largest timber projects in the world.
This summer is the time to start practising load shifting in commercial buildings because by this time next year, the savings for demand management are going to become super lucrative.
The approach at Monash University’s latest Passive House building is about “embracing rather defending” the sun, allowing for a more circadian experience. “Passive House is typically about keeping the sun out. We were doing the opposite”, the architects say.
This week the Victorian Government unveiled a “big housing build” plan set to “transform the social housing system”, finally heeding calls from the housing sector to address the sharp rise in cost of living pressures and energy affordability.
A long-overdue investment to raise the energy efficiency of homes in Victoria has denoted the state a “clear leader” in climate solutions, but a climate change think tank has called on the government to aim even higher – for net-zero all-electric homes.
