How to make Australia’s growing urban fringes smart Ben Cowling, Civica Australia’s more established communities are using technology to become smarter and more efficient. But smart infrastructure is largely out of reach for fast-growing suburbs that are struggling to provide the basic services. Harnessing data that already exists could be one solution for these new communities.
On why Mobbs is just part of the chain reaction The Fifth Estate - our view News from the front desk 455: Michael Mobbs, one of Sydney’s most established sustainability gurus looks like he’s thrown in the towel on hope. He might not be throwing himself down on the streets as the Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters are, but what he is doing could be more subversive. 8
More must be done to keep us all safe at work Willow Aliento | 10 October 2019 The property market love affair with stone benchtops for bathrooms and kitchens is proving deadly for hundreds of Australian workers.
Passivhaus could be about to hit the mainstream David Thorpe | 1 October 2019 Thirty years after its inception, Passivhaus design, which results in high-performing buildings that use hardly any energy, looks set to hit the mainstream.
Shergold and Weir report prompts NCC changes to aluminium composite panel labelling Willow Aliento | 24 September 2019 Builders and specifiers may need to check the labels on aluminium composite panels (ACPs) being supplied for building projects because of a proposed out-of-cycle amendment to the 2019 National Construction Code (NCC).
Australia’s construction industry must unite around a cohesive strategy Martin Loosemore, University of NSW, Sydney | 16 September 2019 I recently attended a conference in the UK that discussed future trends affecting the global construction industry, and what struck me was the stark lack of consensus, clarity and strategy we have in Australia around the future of our construction and engineering industry, compared with many other countries.
Time for New Zealand to cut emissions from its construction sector and get its quality up to scratch Nick Collins, Metals New Zealand | 9 September 2019 In response to a recent report highlighting New Zealand’s problem with embodied carbon in construction, the head of a metal industry organisation Nick Collins has suggested carbon is only part of the story and that a wider approach is needed to clean up the construction industry, which includes a bigger role for the local metal manufacturing sector.
Why construction standards need to be free Willow Aliento | 6 September 2019 Having to pay high cumulative prices to find out what the rules are for construction doesn’t make sense. It’s like getting a licence and then having to pay to access each of the road rules. One of the comments on this story since we first posted suggests it just might be unconstitutional. It certainly feels unjust.
David Chandler is focused on quality and confidence – but but where to start Tina Perinotto | 5 September 2019 Comment: You could never accuse David Chandler of being a shrinking violet.
Building crisis: we need an injection of good evidence Professor Martin Loosemore & Professor Bill Randolph, UNSW | 5 September 2019 Rectifying an information and evidence shortfall in the now widely cited building and construction crisis needs to be an important part of improving policy making and regulation.
Victoria tackles flammable cladding: safety “fix” or confidence trick? Anne Paten | 29 August 2019 In July, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and the state’s minister for planning, Richard Wynne, trumpeted that $600 million would tackle Victoria’s high-rise cladding crisis. It was paraded as a safety solution for owners of affected buildings but the “fix” was a contemptible confidence trick.
We’re going to miss David Chandler Tina Perinotto | 13 August 2019 The Daily Tele was shocked at how David Chandler’s articles in The Fifth Estate have been so critical of the government but he still gets the gig as building commissioner.
Coming soon: Re-loved Buildings Special Report The Fifth Estate | 12 August 2019 The most sustainable buildings are the ones we already have. How do we care for, maintain and creatively repurpose our most precious built environment assets?
London developers fighting the construction industry Brexit blues David Thorpe | 8 August 2019 UK construction firms have been figuring out how to prepare for a no-deal Brexit for some time, but now that Boris Johnson is PM, most are even more worried as orders are reaching new lows.
Building failures and developer ecosystems: the tip of the iceberg Mark Singer, Shelter NSW | 23 July 2019 The fallout of this building crisis, at the end of the current property boom cycle, may see many developers close doors and get out of development activities.
NHFIC in social housing financing spree includes first construction loans Poppy Johnston | 18 July 2019 The National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation has announced more than $85 million in finance for social and affordable housing across NSW.
Building industry in turbulence Tina Perinotto | 16 July 2019 “We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan. If he’d been talking of the building industry he might just have been right. Especially when you think how shonky it’s starting to look and especially when you think how big a part of the economy it is.
