2021 Sustainability Summit
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y A W A R D S
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JUL-SEP 2021
WORDS BRANKO MILETIC
This years’ Sustainability Summit has been designed as not only a celebration of new and sustainable building design but also as a roadmap in order to achieve a range of sustainable outcomes. The 2021 Sustainability Summit will bring together academics, industry experts, and corporate specialists who will discuss, investigate and evaluate the most pressing sustainability issues currently affecting the industry and the country as a whole. In terms of this years’ five CPD panel subjects, they will be: 1. DESIGNING THE PERFECTLY SUSTAINABLE BUILDING This panel will look at how to develop the most concise sustainable building designs for our urban environment. It will discuss architectural and structural design tools to facilitate the inclusion of ecological costing throughout the design phase of buildings (e.g. water, embodied energy, carbon). How to improve the uptake of environmentally sustainable technologies will also be discussed while control systems, sensor technology, and other tools for improving building performance and sustainability will be investigated.
3. CIRCULAR ECONOMY IDEAS FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE OF BUILDINGS Circular economy strategies seek to reduce the total resources extracted from the environment in order to reduce the waste that human activities generate in pursuit of modern design. Circular Economy concepts – including using waste and recycling waste products as a building material are well suited to the building and construction sector in our cities. Therefore, this panel takes a deep dive into enhancing material lifespans and multiple benefits that can be extended beyond the building project itself and into its internal components while also contributing to economic savings and sustainable design.
2. EVERYTHING ARCHITECTS NEED TO KNOW WHEN DESIGNING WITH TIMBER
4. WATER-SENSITIVE DESIGN – 2021 & BEYOND
Architectural design with timber is too often an underappreciated craft and many architects have little experience when designing with wood and wood products. While client pressure on
As our cities expand and the climate becomes more unpredictable, the need to design buildings and neighbourhoods and even entire cities that use less water has become
2021 PARTNERS
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an architect to use certain materials for their project is understandable, it is also the role of an architect to inform their client about not only their material options, but also the reasoning behind each design decision. Ultimately the look of a building is paramount to its success, so there is an incredible level of consideration that needs to be put in place when designing with timber due to its natural characteristics and the affect these can have on the overall aesthetics and surrounding area.
more important than ever. By examining a range of planning, design and technology strategies, including using water as a ‘secondary sustainability enabler’ like its use in hydronic heating, this panel examines the many ways materials, technology, urban planning and landscape design can effectively address the challenge of water conservation across the built environment. 5. WOMEN IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP There are many societal and environmental issues that require strong leaders to pioneer and promote change while at the same time, cultivating a better understanding of urban sustainability. Whether they are emerging or existing leaders, they must seize opportunities for growth and collaborate with other environment professionals to maximise the impacts of their endeavours. The Women in the Built Environment & Sustainability Leadership panel brings together some of the most accomplished female leaders in the field who’ll explain the current climate of the industry while also help the next generation of female leaders plant the seeds for a much more sustainable future.
The 2021 Sustainability Summit will be held on Thursday November 11 in Sydney.
