Section
4: Sustainable Cities - the Challenge of the 21st
Century
This
chapter has been developed by lead author and The
Natural Edge Project (TNEP) Secretariat member, Cheryl
Paten. Mentoring and assistance was gratefully received
from Alan Pears, co-director of environmental consultancy
Sustainable Solutions and an Adjunct Professor in
Environment and Planning at RMIT University in Melbourne,
Dr Janis Birkeland editor of Design for Sustainability
and the team from TNEP. Cameron Hoffmann is also acknowledged
for his guidance on the chapter and a number of contributions
included in the text. Working Group member Kate West
is thanked for her review and comments during early
chapter development. The editorial team would like
to thank Bob Cameron for contributing some text and
case study material. Thank you also to the organizations
mentioned in the text, most of whom provided extra
insight into the case studies.
Cheryl
Paten, TNEP Education Coordinator,
Mentoring
and assistance was gratefully received
from
Alan Pears and Janis Birkeland.
There are many well-documented
examples of how our ancestors successfully used their
surroundings to sculpt sustainable built environments.
Attention to natural energy flows and to the properties
of local materials was rewarded with comfortable shelters
and small ecological footprints. However, over a time
span of a few decades communities around the world
have lost, or 'misplaced' much of their cultural knowledge.
This has led to the adoption of many 'standard' practices
that are not necessarily suited to the local context.
While case studies demonstrate that architecture,
planning, design and materials are all undergoing
'dramatic sustainability breakthroughs', why is our
built environment generally becoming less comfortable
and more resource hungry?
Inspiring
Case Studies of Greening the Built Environment Down
Under
The
Project Secretariat team with one of our supporters
Martin Jackson (Currumbin
Ecovillage).
Ecovillage
at Currumbin (Landmatters)
The Ecovillage at Currumbin
is a world's best practice sustainable development
vision turned reality for developer, Landmatters -
Chris Walton and Kerry Shepherd . Located on
Australia's Gold Coast in the south-east corner of
Queensland, the 110 hectare site occupies a diversity
of land types and addresses a number of historical
and cultural issues associated with the land ( more...
). With a plan for 144 homes, the project
incorporates initiatives such as traffic minimisation,
prohibiting dogs and cats to protect native wildlife,
on-site water management (without connection to the
municipal supply), energy-efficient design and the
use of renewable energy. In 2002, it was recognised
as part of the Queensland EPA
and UDIA Sustainable Urban Development Program which
promotes innovation in urban design.
An
Interpretive Centre has been established to promote
and showcase sustainable practices and awareness -
visitors can learn how to live more sustainably in
their own existing homes or live within the Ecovillage.
The Centre was officially opened on 6 December
2005 by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie.
View
Website
 The
Byron at Byron
Situated on a 45-acre site only 5 minutes south from
Byron Bay (Northern New South Wales) near Tallow Beach,
The
Byron at Byron is an environmentally
sensitive five star resort. Built under the supervision
of New South Wales' first popularly
elected green Mayor, the development has a colourful
history of addressing social and environmental concerns
on and around the site. The Secretariat on tour with
Hunter Lovins in 2005, were graciously hosted by owner
operators John
and Lyn Parché.
743 Ann Street:
PMM Building (Case Study in Chapter)
The
PMM building on 743 Ann Street Brisbane is a fully
refurbished office building incorporating over 50
sustainability features.
View
Video (wmv 3MB)
Australian
Conservation Foundation
Natural
Advantage: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Australia
was launched by the Governor-General in October
2000 and gives government, business and the community
an optimistic and prosperous vision for Australia
. An online companion of case studies with links to
further information was provided. See Chapter 21 Liveable
Cities Case Study Folder for numerous Australian case
studies and databases
View
Website
30
Bond Building
- Bovis Lend Lease
Lend
Lease's new Sydney headquarters represents a total
commitment to ecologically sustainable development
(ESD) principles. The Sustainable Energy Development
Authority (SEDA) has awarded the design five stars
under the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme.
The use of chilled beam technology and naturally ventilated/mixed
mode spaces significantly enhance indoor environment
quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 30 The
Bond features the use of chilled beams for the first
time in a large-scale commercial building in Australia.The
local project team was able to gain an understanding
of the technology from Bovis Lend Lease's European
colleagues who are experienced in its design and application.
The building design provides 30% lower CO2 emissions
than a typical office building. The building features
a façade with naturally ventilated sunrooms.
People working on each level will have access to naturally
ventilated spaces, external terrace/balconies or both.
Sydney 's climate will allow the sunrooms to operate
for up to 50-60% of the year as naturally ventilated.
This contributes to the overall reduction in green
house emissions. Rainwater is also collected on a
portion of the roof and stored for irrigation to maximise
water conservation.
View
Website
'National@Docklands'-
VIC
National@Docklands
is an innovative example of commitment to creating
a sustainable workplace. Just like Lend Lease's new
headquarters
in
Sydney , 30 The Bond, the National @ Docklands has
no offices and all
employees
have equal access to facilities. The building also
incorporates a range
of
ecologically sustainable features and scored a 4.3
star energy rating in the
'whole
of building' category in the Australian Building Greenhouse
Rating scheme and is rated 4.4 stars for its fit-out.
View
WebSite
The
60L Greenbuilding
Another
example of Green Building design in Australia is the
60L Building in Melbourne, a 2003 Banksia award winner.
"60L is the leading example of green commercial building
in Australia , demonstrating to the property industry
that minimising a building's impact on the environment
can be commercially viable. 60L's innovation is in
the broad range of sustainability objectives, implemented
to a high degree and resulting in an attractive, healthy
building."
View
Website
The
Sydney Olympic
Stadium
The
Sydney Olympic Stadium, Village set new standards
in Australia for Greening the Built Environment leading
to worldwide interest
View
Website
The
University Of Newcastle
The
University Of Newcastle , NSW is also a great example
of the benefits of a holistic approach to the development.
A remarkable series of ESD (ecologically Sustainable)
Buildings demonstrate an economic and practical approach
while breaking new ground in architectural excellence
and environmental performance. The Rocky Mountain
Institute has described this succession of new buildings
and approach to the management of the natural environment
as "Probably the most significant succession
of sustainable buildings anywhere in the world"
(Huston Eubank November 1999). These buildings are
complimented by sensitive landscape and management
techniques, including the LandSoft Catchment management
system, which represent significant progress in maintaining
remnant Australian Bushland in a heavily populated
urban context.
View
Website
Council
House 2 (CH2) - The City of Melbourne
"Council
House 2 (CH2) - The City of Melbourne has been awarded
six Green Stars for the design of its 10-storey office
building Council House 2 (CH2), which is due for completion
by end-2005. CH2 is the first building design to be
awarded six stars under the Green Star - Office Design
rating tool."
View
Website
Canberra
International Airport
"has
achieved many Australian firsts in environmentally
sustainable development and facility management including
the prestigious rating of first Five Green Star building
in Australia . Our green vision extends to every facet
of the Airport with particular attention to recycling
and minimising energy consumption and results most
evident in the development of Brindabella
Business Park, Australia 's greenest business
park and a leader in ecologically viable building
practices."
View
Website
Darebin
City Council - Leading In Sustainability VIC
The
Reservoir Civic Centre (RCC) opened in August 2003
demonstrates Darebin City Council's commitment to
sustainability and is growing into a key community
educational resource. The building's design, construction
and operation are based on the principles of environmental
sustainability, building social capital and financial
responsibility. The active participation and work
of the community, environmental experts, the design
and project management team, consulting engineers,
RCC staff and users collectively has created a building
that:
-
Saved 500 tonnes of waste going to landfill during
construction.
-
Diverted 94% of the building demolished on the site
prior to construction.
-
Will continue to reduce waste through the active on-site
recycling and the purchase of reusable, recyclable
products.
-
Will save 60% on water use and 50% on energy use per
year, as compared to a similar conventional building.
View
PDF
City
of Melville - Piney
Lakes Environmental Education Centre
The
Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre is a unique
environmental centre that now offers the community
access to education and demonstration facilities covering
the environment alternative renewable energy technologies
for waste treatment and water treatment. The building
provides a working example of an educational facility
serviced by sustainable technology. One of the main
features of the centre is the fact that it is not
connected to Mains Electricity, water supply or sewage.
All of these services are generated or supplied from
renewable energy sources thus making the building
truly "green". The Piney Lakes Environmental
Education Centre is arguably the best practical demonstration
of a sustainably designed facility in Australia .
View
Website
DPI
Queenscliff - A Sustainable Building for a Sustainable
Future in Marine Research - VIC
The
Department of Primary Industries (DPI) employed its
Ecologically Sustainable Design and Construction initiative
to develop a truly innovative and world-leading Marine
Research Centre at Queenscliff. The success of DPI
Queenscliff is highlighted by an independent report
that indicates a Six Green Star rating is achievable
pending formal certification by the Green Building
Council of Australia.
View
Website
Naragebup:
A Sustainability Icon - WA
Evolving
from community demand the Naragebup Community Centre
was coordinated by a group of environmentally passionate
community members in 1995. From these members a vision
unfolded of a large, purpose built facility manifesting
the principles of sustainable living. The result is
an extraordinary building, run by an extraordinary
organisation achieving innovative sustainability education.
View
Website
The
EcoHouse Project - VIC
The
EcoHouse Project is a community inspired initiative
that has transformed the Port Phillip EcoCentre site
in St. Kilda Botanical Gardens into a model of urban
sustainable design. The EcoHouse tangibly demonstrates
a wide range of sustainable technologies and methods
for energy and water efficiency for existing and new
dwellings.
View
Website
Newcastle
, Greenhouse Champion
Newcastle
, birthplace of the Australian coal industry, is now
recognised as a world leading local government on
greenhouse issues. A good summary of the city's achievements
can be found on Radio National's Earthbeat's transcripts.
The Newcastle City Council has established the Australian
Municipal Energy Improvement Facility "to prepare
Newcastle and the Hunter Region for its future in
greenhouse action technology and to provide Australian
Councils with a local government based greenhouse
action knowledge interchange".
View
Website
Online
Databases
Ecospecifier
(RMIT, Australia )
Ecospecifier
is a knowledge base of over 1000 environmentally preferable
products, materials and resources. Linking independent
information with a powerful search interface, ecospecifier
does your materials research for you, delivering innovative
solutions with a unique difference. Designed to help
designers, builders, consultants and those looking
to deliver a best practice design, ecospecifier can
help reduce environmental impacts and create healthier
and more productive living and working environments.
View Website
Green
Building
Supplies ( USA ) View
Website
Meta-Efficient
Building related products ( USA ) View
Website
City
of Seattle
Case
Studies of how Greening the Built Environment has
multiple benefits such as improving the Productivity
of the business from the USA .
View
Website
Rocky
Mountain Institute, Colorado USA
Case
Studies of Greening the Built Environment in Europe
View
Website
Green
Building Sources: This freely downloadable listing
from RMI provides a thorough overview of key publications,
key online resources, CD ROMS, training material to
assist the Greening of the Built Environment.
View
PDF
Further
papers by the Rocky Mountain Institute on the Business
Case for Greening the Built Environment .
View
Website
Greening
the Built Environment Organisations
Green
Development Organisations in the USA
View
Website
Australian
Green Development Forum
To
accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices in
the Australian building and development industry.
The Australian Green Development Forum is a balanced,
non-profit coalition of members from development industries,
government organisations and community groups. It
is endorsed by industry and environmental bodies,
and is aligned to community sectors that also have
an interest in fostering sustainable development.
View
Website
Australian
CRC for Construction Innovation
The
Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation
is a national research, development and implementation
centre focused on the needs of the property, design,
construction and facility management sectors. Established
in 2001 and headquartered at Queensland University
of Technology as an unincorporated joint venture under
the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Program,
Construction Innovation is developing key technologies,
tools and management systems to improve the effectiveness
of the construction industry. Underpinning Construction
Innovation is the most significant commitment ever
made to construction research in Australia - a seven
year $14M Commonwealth grant and $50M in industry,
research and other government funding. More that 300
individuals are participating and an impressive alliance
of 19 leading partner organisations are involved in
and support the activities of Construction Innovation.
View
Website
Australian
Green Building
Council
The
Green Building Council of Australia's mission is to
define and develop a sustainable property industry
in Australia and to drive the adoption of green building
practices through market-based solutions. The Council's
objective is to promote sustainable development and
the transition of the property industry to implementing
green building programs, technologies, design practice
and operations. To do this, the Green Building Council
is developing a national suit of green building rating
tools called 'Green Star', it is also calling for
economic incentives, government initiatives and programs
to facilitate the adoption of new technologies and
access to new knowledge.
View
Website
Australian
Council of Infrastructure and Development (AusCID)Sustainability
Framework Report, 2003
AusCID
CEO, Dennis O'Neill, presented the recently developed
handbook entitled Sustainability Framework for the
Future of Australia's Infrastructure at the Business
Leaders Forum for Sustainable Development held in
Sydney on the 29th of May, 2003 . This document forms
the basis of a campaign by AusCID to incorporate sustainability
aspects into infrastructure planning and development
in all levels of government and among the Council's
membership. The handbook is AusCID's contribution
towards developing a new framework for the development
of national infrastructure that takes account of its
environmental and social, as well as economic aspects.
Download
PDF | View
Website
Australian
Government online Resources
View
Website
Example
of State Government Commitment to Greening the Built
Environment: Victoria ,
Australia
Development
of more energy efficient buildings will ensure more
sustainable use of our precious resources and will
deliver economic, social and ecological benefits to
the whole community. The challenge of producing energy
efficient houses, apartments and public and commercial
facilities will also provide industry with the opportunity
to demonstrate creativity and innovation in building
design, construction and operation.
Growth
in the development of sustainable housing is predicted
to inject up to $570 million and create over 1000
new jobs in Victoria alone. But it's not only good
for the economy, consumers will also benefit; with
greater access to more comfortable homes, reduced
energy bills, and assurance they will be helping to
protect our environment.
View
Website
Australian
Federal Government Sustainable Cities Programme
The
Sustainable Cities programme is a new urban environment
initiative, aimed to make Australian cities and towns
cleaner and more sustainable.
View
Website
CSIRO's
Magazine of Innovations in the Built Environment SOLVE
View
Website
Greening
the Built Environment: Further Reading
Birkeland,
J ed, 2002, Design for Sustainability: A Sourcebook
of Ecological Design Solutions, Earthscan, UK.
Birkeland,
J. 2003, "Beyond Zero Waste", Societies
for a Sustainable Future, Third UKM-UC International
Conference 14-15 April 2003, University of Canberra,
ACT.
Browning,
W (1997) A New View of Real Estate , speech
delivered to the MITCenter for Real Estate in 1997.
( View
Website )
McDonough
W and M Braungart 2002, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking
the Way We Make Things, North Point Press, NY.
Mendler,
F.S, Odell, W. (2000) The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable
Design, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
O'Brien,
M 2000, Making Better Environmental Decisions: An
Alternative to Risk Assessment, The MIT Press, Cambridge
MA.
Roaf,
S, M Fuentes, and S Thomas 2003, Ecohouse 2: A Design
Guide, Architectural Press, Burlington MA.
Romm,
J. and Browingin, W. (1995) Greening the Building
and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity Through
Energy-Efficient Design. (View
PDF|View
Website)
Scheer,
H 2004, The Solar Economy, Earthscan Publishers, London.
Wilson,
A. et al (1998) Green Development: Integrating
Ecological and Real Estate , Rocky Mountain Institute,
John Wiley and Sons Inc.
References
from the Book
1
Wilson
,
A., Uncapher, J., McManigal, L., Lovins, L. H., Cureton,
M. and Browning, W. (1998) Green Development: Integrating
Ecology and Real Estate, Rocky Mountain Institute/John
Wiley & Sons, p6.
2
Ibid, p19.
3
A video summary is available through the PMM website.
4
A range of building schemes are described further
in this chapter, under 'Rating
Schemes'.
5
Information taken from an article on the building
in Home Power Magazine, The Hands-on Journal of Home
Made Power, Issue 75.
6
Collis, B. (2002) Fields of Discovery: Australia
's
CSIRO, Allen & Unwin, Sydney
,
p422.
7
Fletcher, K. (2003) 'How Green is thy City', Business
London, Spring.
8
Statistics taken from Roodman, D. and Lenssen, N.
(1995) A Building Revolution: How Ecology and Health
Concerns Are Transforming Construction, Worldwatch
Paper 124, Worldwatch Institute, Washington
,
DC
.
9
Birkeland (2004) course notes for Greening the Built
Environment, a professional
development
short course available through Australian
National
University
.
10
Over the past decade, the Listed Property Trust (LPT)
sector has become an increasingly large component
of the broader Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) share
market indexes. Market capitalization of the sector
has risen from AU$5 billion in 1992 to AU$45 billion
in 2002.
11
Mays, S. (2003) Corporate Sustainability: An Investor
Perspective: The Mays Report, prepared with BT Financial
Group for the Department of Environment and Heritage,
Australian Government, p29.
12
Pears, A. (2003) Planning Institute of Australia's
Submission for Federal Government's Sustainable Cities
2025 Enquiry, Commonwealth of Australia, Ch 5.
13
Mendler, F. and Odell, W. (2000) The HOK Guidebook
to Sustainable Design, John Wiley & Sons, Indianapolis
,
IN.
14
Collis, B. (2002) Fields of Discovery: Australia
's
CSIRO, Allen & Unwin, Sydney
,
p411.
15
Price Waterhouse Coopers (2002) Innovation in the
Australian
Building
and Construction Industry: Survey Report, prepared
for the Australian Construction Industry Forum and
the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources,
March.
16
Birkeland, J. (2002) Design for Sustainability: A
Sourcebook of Integrated Eco-Logical Solutions, Earthscan,
London
.
17
Wilson
,
A., Uncapher, J., McManigal, L., Lovins, L. H., Cureton,
M. and Browning, W. (1998) Green Development: Integrating
Ecology and Real Estate, Rocky Mountain Institute/John
Wiley & Sons, Ch 4.
18
Birkeland, J. (2002) Design for Sustainability: A
Sourcebook of Integrated Eco-Logical Solutions, Earthscan,
London
.
19
Ibid.
20
AusCID (Australian Council for Infrastructure Development)
(2003) Sustainability Framework for the future of
Australia
's
infrastructure, AusCID.
21
Ibid.
22
Refer to the proceedings of The DestiNY USA Environmental
Design Charrette (April 2002 - Savannah
Dhu
Conference
Center
,
Savannah
,
New
York ,
p7).
23
Department of Sustainability and Environment (2003)
Sustainability in the Built Environment Discussion
Paper, Victorian Government, September, pii.
24
A number of key resource lists (books and online)
are provided as an appendix in Mendler, F. and Odell,
W. (2000) The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design,
John Wiley & Sons, Indianapolis, IN.
25
More than 150 researchers and an alliance of 18 partner
organizations are involved in and support the activities
of the CRC for CI.
26
Personal communications with Alan Pears ( 21
March 2004 ).
27
The Education Modules are being developed by a team
of young engineers and scientists supported by the
Institution of Engineers Australia, through The Natural
Edge Project.
28
Urban and Regional Land Corporation (URLC) AURORA
development in Epping North - a joint initiative of
the Centre for Design at RMIT
University
,
Urban and Regional Land Corporation, and the Sustainable
Energy Authority of Victoria.
29
Information about accessing the guide is available
from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
and through the BDP website.
30
EcoSpecifier is a not-for-profit collaboration by
RMIT
University
's
Centre for Design, and Natural Integrated Living Inc.
The online database provides knowledge and training
on best-practice sustainable materials and product
specification and design.
31
Mendler, F. and Odell, W. (2000) The HOK Guidebook
to Sustainable Design, John Wiley & Sons, Indianapolis
,
IN.
32
Ibid, pxiii.
33
Romm, R. and Browning, W. (1994) Greening the Building
and the Bottom Line: Increasing Productivity Through
Energy-Efficient Design, Rocky Mountain Institute,
Colorado
.
34
Wilson
,
A., Uncapher, J., McManigal, L., Lovins, L. H., Cureton,
M. and Browning, W. (1998) Green Development: Integrating
Ecology and Real Estate, Rocky Mountain Institute/John
Wiley & Sons, p18.
35
Mays, S. (2003) Corporate Sustainability: An Investor
Perspective: The Mays Report, prepared with BT Financial
Group for the Department of Environment and Heritage,
Australian Government, p37. General Property Trust
(GPT) is Australia
's
largest diversified property trust, owning, developing
and managing a AU$6.8 billion portfolio of retail,
office, hotel and industrial properties throughout
Australia
.
36
For example direct observation, target market analysis,
visual preference surveys, the 'let's talk' approach,
focus groups and 'creative feasibility', as described
in Wilson, A., Uncapher, J., McManigal, L., Lovins,
L. H., Cureton, M. and Browning, W. (1998) Green Development:
Integrating Ecology and Real Estate, Rocky Mountain
Institute/John Wiley & Sons, p121.
37
Millicer, H. (2003) 'Acting Accordingly: Tenants at
60L Have Signed a Most Unusual Occupancy Agreement',
an article in a supplement for Australian Conservation
Foundation's Habitat magazine, ACF, February.
38
Information contained in the supplement for Australian
Conservation Foundation's
Habitat
magazine (February 2003 edition). See also the Australian
Conservation Foundation and 60L building design website.
39
Information obtained from the UK Action Energy group
the UK BedZED website, and the Zedfactory's website.
Information about other 'ZED projects' can also be
found at the Zed Factory's website.
40
Even though most developed countries have had such
requirements for many years. A history of rating schemes
in Australia
can be found in Pears, A. (2003) Planning Institute
of Australia
's
Submission for Federal Government's Sustainable Cities
2025 Enquiry, Commonwealth of Australia, Ch 5.
41
The Commonwealth Depa |