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Sustainable Design Principles
Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)
3 April, 2023
Cost-Plus Building Contracts
2 June, 2023
The sustainable design aims to minimise negative environmental impact while maintaining high design quality, safety, and providing optimal health and comfort for occupants. In this blog post, we will provide an overview of the main principles of sustainable design in Australia.
Table of Contents
The importance of sustainable design principles in Australia
Sustainable design is gaining a lot of attention in the era of global warming and its visible consequences. The construction industry has a significant negative impact on environmental issues, including global warming. Buildings are responsible for approximately 19% of total energy consumption and 18% of direct carbon emissions in Australia, according to the Green Building Council of Australia. Australia’s climate has experienced an average warming of 1.47 ± 0.24 °C since national records began in 1910, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Additionally, sea surface temperatures have risen by an average of 1.05 °C since 1900. Therefore, sustainable design requirements have been recognised as one of the measures against global warming.
Main principles of sustainable design in construction
The main goals of sustainable design include reducing the use of non-renewable materials, minimising waste, promoting the use of recycled materials, creating healthy and safe environments, and achieving optimum building performance. The principles of sustainable design need to be integrated into all stages of a building project, such as project ideation, design, construction, and operation. If we take these goals into account, we can define the following sustainable design principles:
Use sustainable materials
Sustainable materials are those with a low environmental impact, durability, and the ability to be easily recycled or reused. Some examples of recycled materials that can be used in the construction industry include wood, recycled metal, sustainable concrete, mud and wool bricks, and straw bales.
Using recyclable materials has numerous benefits, such as reducing landfill waste, conserving natural resources, reducing pollution, increasing indoor air quality, enhancing energy efficiency, and decreasing the cost of production and transportation of construction materials.
Apply energy efficiency principles
Using sustainable materials in construction offers a significant advantage: the potential for long-term cost savings. Energy-efficient materials and technologies can reduce the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting a building. That contributes to greater energy efficiency without compromising building performance.
To improve energy efficiency, implementing the following design practices can be helpful:
- Installing exterior insulation
- Choosing high-quality windows to reduce air and heat leaks
- Selecting the right ventilation systems
- Focusing on LED lighting
- Utilizing renewable energy sources, such as solar panels
- Using energy-efficient materials, technologies, and appliances
- Adding passive heating options and skylights.
The main benefits of energy efficiency for the environment include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced pollution, cost savings, and reduced water (and other natural resource) usage.
Conserve natural resources and recycle
Recycling and conserving natural resources are essential to eco-friendly design. Therefore, focusing on renewable materials and promoting recycling in each stage of the construction project will benefit the environment. Here’s how you can recycle more in your construction projects:
- Use clean resources more efficiently
- Use fewer resources
- Reuse resources
- Practice deconstruction instead of demolition
- Track your material use
- Integrate waste into new sites
- Donate material that you don’t need
- Use standard dimensions in building
Recycling materials has numerous benefits for both cost reduction and environmental protection. Some main benefits of recycling include cost savings in different stages of the building project, time and labour savings, conservation of natural resources, waste reduction, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increased energy efficiency.
Implement biophilic design
Biophilic design is a design concept that aims to connect building occupants to nature, providing benefits for both humans and the environment. Some principles of biophilic design include natural lighting and ventilation, the use of natural colours, green or living walls, fountains or ponds, natural shapes and forms, and the integration of natural patterns and processes into the design.
The biophilic design prioritises the health and well-being of occupants as well as the ecosystem and environment surrounding the building. It creates a connection between humans and nature and can offer a variety of health, economic, and other benefits for people.
Optimise building space and material use
Optimising building space and material use is an important consideration in sustainable design. To use materials efficiently and optimise building space, it’s important to follow these best practices:
- Plan in advance and define the accurate amount of material and space required for each component of the project.
- Maximise the use of available space by creating multipurpose spaces or rooms adaptable to different uses.
- Use modular construction.
- Apply lean construction practices to optimise workflow and minimise inventory.
Simplify building maintenance requirements
Using long-lasting and low-maintenance materials, such as concrete and metal, and designing the building to allow easy access to mechanical systems and equipment are essential for simplifying maintenance requirements.
The benefits of sustainable design principles for businesses and consumers
Sustainable design principles can bring numerous benefits to businesses, occupants, and society as a whole.
For businesses, sustainable design can reduce building costs associated with energy and water usage. It can also decrease the time and cost required for waste management. By implementing sustainable design, businesses can improve their reputation and contribute to long-term sustainability.
For building occupants, sustainable design can lower energy and water usage, heating and cooling costs, and improve indoor air quality. It can positively impact their health and reduce maintenance expenses.
For society, sustainable design helps to mitigate air and water pollution as well as global warming, leading to a healthier environment overall.
The challenges of implementing sustainable design principles in the AU market
Although sustainable design practices offer promising results, there are still many challenges in implementing them in Australia. Some main challenges include:
- Higher costs associated with sustainable supply chains, renewable materials, and building practices
- Lack of government incentives and initiatives to promote sustainable building
- Lengthy bureaucratic processes
- Lack of awareness among stakeholders about the benefits of sustainable construction
- Limited knowledge of green technology.
We hope that authorities will work more closely with stakeholders in the construction industry to overcome these challenges and promote sustainable building practices, as they significantly contribute to the environment, people, and society as a whole.
Conclusion
At Property & Building Assessments, our mission is to provide expert advice and assistance for your sustainable construction projects. With over 20 years of relevant industry experience, we offer consulting and project management services for every stage of your building project. Contact us today here.
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