SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPTS

Bite sized advice and design tips

BETTER CONCEPT DESIGN

Passive design is the concept of designing to work with the local climate, to reduce the need for mechanical heating, cooling and ventilation. Appropriate shading, window locations, size, and openability, and room placement are all key considerations in passive design...
Windows are the weak spot for heat gain and loss in a dwelling – they are effectively a hole in the wall...

Windows are rated by their U value which is the rate at which heat can travel through them...
Shade to keep summer sun out but allow full winter sun in...
Maximising energy efficiency of the building fabric...

BETTER MATERIALS

See our product library for a selection of more sustainable variants of typical materials used in projects. Generally these options are comparable in price to less environmentally friendly options, and perform as well. Selecting from these products can be easy sustainability gets.

Include waste minimisation as a tender evaluation criteria...
Select demolition contractors that include a component of hand demolition...
Undertake insulation inspections prior to plasterboard installation...

LID daily energy use by type - summary 190822_edited.jpg

BETTER OCCUPANT BEHAVIOUR

Make it easy for home owners to understand their energy and water use. Connect internal meters or sensors and dashboards for real time analysis of use or details of trends in resource use.

DURABILITY, REPEATED RE-USE, AND A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Currently much of human’s consumption is a linear process where we use something once then dispose of it. The concept of a circular economy is that we re-use materials repeatedly, ideally without any loss of value, while reducing waste and pollution. Materials and products are not used once and sent to landfill.

EMBODIED ENERGY

The energy consumed in taking a material from its natural source or components to a form that is used in buildings is termed the embodied energy of that material.

SUSTAINABILITY IN YOUR BUSINESS

Start with an environmental policy then identify an action plan for a more sustainable office workplace. See our example.

Address the big ticket items of energy consumption, waste and purchasing then other areas your operation impacts the environment

SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

Victoria’s has a target to source 40% of our energy from renewable sources by 2025 and 50% from renewables by 2030.
Victoria and NSW have a target to be carbon neutral by 2050.
The Take 2 Pledge in Victoria encourages schools, organisations, individuals committing to zero greenhouse gas emissions from operational energy consumption by 2050.

BETTER FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Indigenous Australians understand and it is central to their understanding of life - we are custodians of the land for future generations.

Sustainability Concepts: Services