Two major changes need to take place for Australia to make the next improvement to designing, building and operating climate resilient net zero buildings.
These changes are architectural fashion and construction practice, according to Jeff Robinson, buildings principal at Aurecon.
Current designs of commercial, institutional and high-rise residential buildings are not appropriate for the climate emergency the world is currently facing.
In New York and London, energy regulations are making it more difficult to continue with “Glass box Architecture” and leading architects are embracing more climate appropriate architecture.
The other area that has to change is the way buildings are built in Australia, construction is lagging behind many parts of Europe in terms of insulation and airtightness performance.
To achieve net zero targets, and future proof buildings, construction practices need to change.
While some developers are looking at Passive House Certification as a way of assuring building envelope performance and enabling net zero design, this presentation discuss the lessons learnt in designing and constructing the two largest buildings in Australia.
Both have been designed using Passive House principles.
In this ARBS session Robinson will discuss the opportunities and challenges of rapidly improving the insulation and airtightness of Australian buildings at scale.
Robinson has worked as a consulting engineer for over 34 years working in London, Ireland and more recently Melbourne.
He has an industry wide reputation as a passionate advocate for great architecture and urban design.
He is also advocating for the construction industry to reduce operational carbon and chairs a working group which is focused on transforming the building services supply chain.