Building green

Buildings consume 32% of the world’s resources including 12% of fresh water and 40% of the world’s energy. In Australia commercial buildings produce almost 9% of our national Greenhouse gas emissions (see references 1&2 below).

As the University builds, owns, operates and occupies its own facilities it is well placed to reap the ongoing benefits of good environmental design – by taking a systems approach to incorporate the principles of sustainability into the design, construction and operation of campus buildings and facilities.

'Design Guidelines’ have been developed by Campus Infrastructure Services to inform the development of new buildings and refurbishments on campus. The Guidelines contain environmental criteria to support the inclusion of passive solar; water sensitive; low waste and low toxicity features into campus buildings. Explore the Design Guidelines.

Environmental Strategies has been working with partners from Universities across Australia to customise the Green Building Council of Australia's Green Star Rating Tool pilot for education facilities. “Green Star” rates how well a building design will perform environmentally - for example by using less resources over their lifespan and reducing the environmental impacts that arise from constructing, operating and demolishing buildings.

Campus 2010 clusters a range of new building work on the Camperdown Darlington campuses into the largest campus improvement program since the University opened its doors in 1850. The Green Star Rating tool is being applied to ‘Campus 2010’ buildings and surrounds. Environmental aims include:

• Maximise the quality of air we use in our buildings and the air we return to the outside world;
• Use materials and resources wisely by maximising reuse and recycling, take account of the ‘embodied energy’ (or energy it takes to produce the building and materials it is made from);
• Reduce the use of toxic materials where possible;
• Minimise water consumed and maximise the quality of water discharged;
• Reduce the building’s need for energy by taking advantage of local climate through passive solar design and natural ventilation.

Our Campus 2010 information panels:

Boardwalk construction site		Sydney Central site clearing		Law School site clearing
New Eastern Avenue

In recent years Advanced Engineering students, supervised by Associate Professor Don White, have assessed the environmental features of proposed buildings - including the Law Building and H69 - as part of their final year thesis.

Environmental Strategies is currently in dialogue with Faculty based “building managers” to explore how we might better support each other to improve the environmental performance of University buildings.

______________________

References

1: “Environmentally Sustainable Buildings: Challenges and Policies” OECD (2003).

2: “Australia State of the Environment Report” Department of Environment & Heritage (2001).