Seven questions with Professor Ken Maher on sustainable built environments

EDG editor, Belinda Strickland, spoke with Professor Ken Maher, National President Australian Institute of Architects and President Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), on a wide-ranging approach to sustainable built environments in the current Australian context.

Smart Cities
The federal government’s Smart Cities Plan was welcomed by the Institute as a timely plan for Australian cities
(May 16 policy update). On the re-election of the Coalition, the Institute has called on clear definition for detailed programs as part of this plan and has previously highlighted that the importance of design has not been addressed.

What is the value and importance of design, and how can it be deployed, in building the sustainable, resilient and equitable cities and towns of tomorrow?

We [the Institute] really welcome the Smart Cities Plan and the federal government’s commitment and involvement in the cities agenda. Once the new government is bedded down, we will be talking to them in more detail. It is a very broad framework, it would be acknowledged that there is a lot of detail to follow if it is to have real effect.

Good cities require really good public space, they require the integration of public transport and a shift away from cars – they will require to be very effective and efficient in their sustainable performance, given that we will need collectively to meet the targets of COP21 as we have committed to as a nation. But they also need to be places that people wish to be in and that gets down to the importance of design.

We can see the design at a number of levels – we can see it at a more strategic level – where things are and that they interrelate well. More importantly, we see it at an urban design level – essentially the qualities of the public places in the city. It’s also important at a more detailed level around the architecture that forms the definition of those public spaces, the types of housing we have, the types of public buildings we have and the public spaces and the landscape design.

The world we experience is largely the world that is designed. If we don’t follow through strategies to a detailed design level, it can all fall short of achieving the outcomes that the government is seeking to have. We’ve been quite successful with apartment housing in NSW in particular (SEPP 65 and the Apartment Design Guide (ADG). Other states are getting interested in design quality issues around housing in the cities.

We need to ensure that the Smart Cities Plan places design in the critical role that it has in order that we deliver the towns and cities that are fit for our future populations.

Net zero buildings
Australia is a signatory to The Paris Climate Change Agreement, committing to zero net emissions around 2050. The World Green Building Council (WGBC) has launched its Advancing Net Zero project (with a long term goal of all new buildings and major renovations to be net zero in 2030, and no buildings built below net zero standards beyond 2030).

What will a national zero carbon buildings plan look like and what role can architects play in delivering it?

It’s interesting when we talk about net zero buildings – much of it is to do with what I would call passive design – designing the buildings so they’re not reliant upon energy. That’s the major role that we can play.

There are clearly technologies that can improve efficiencies, there are technologies that harvest energy, etc. But, really in architecture it’s almost the avoidance of technology that will be the greatest path to success. Technology also assists us in sophisticated ways. But we’ve moved away, particularly in buildings not designed by architects, from the idea that the building itself can do much of the work that needs to be done without mechanical assistance or without air-conditioning systems particularly. Unfortunately, in our suburban housing, air-conditioning has become expected and it’s really to do with the very poor design of the housing stock. If there’s more intelligently designed houses, we reduce that reliance enormously.

Retrofitting existing houses and improving them so their performance is better – a lot of that is to do with sensible passive design, over shadowing walls, using vegetation to reduce temperatures, ensuring cross-ventilation, opening up buildings so they can take in more natural light, etc. The fact that a big percentage of housing is existing stock – there is a strong need to adapt this stock – architects have a significant role to play in doing just that.

The question is how to get to the broadest possible market. That means working with the housing industry and working with the larger developers. It’s happening in multi-residential housing, particularly in NSW through legislation such as SEPP 65 and other environmental performance legislation.

Another dimension is the building codes themselves and the need for them to be updated [refer Regulation]. ASBEC, through its energy efficiency and emissions task group, produced the ‘Low carbon, High Performance’ report which does look specifically at the contribution that the building industry can make to a zero carbon future [Editor – the Institute is a contributing member of ASBEC].

The fact is that zero carbon buildings can be achieved through existing technologies along with energy efficiency, fuel switching and low carbon electricity. While there are some leading players in the industry, the level of improvement has been fairly low over the last 10 years in the performance of our buildings. Design will be absolutely a key part of this if we break it down to the performance of the fabric of the building. A well designed building can really reduce reliance upon energy through air-conditioning, lighting and so on, but appliances also need to be made more efficient over time.

Practices, materials and technologies
What are some practices and technologies available today that can facilitate zero carbon buildings and what would assist their uptake?

There are improvements going on with the efficiency of energy consuming appliances and equipment. There are improvements possible, not just to do with ventilation and daylight, but the thermal efficiency of the envelope. At the point of replacement of any appliance, they need to be replaced by more efficient ones – that will help make a difference. But to assist the uptake, there were a number of key points raised in the Low Carbon High Performance report – one is the National Construction Code (NCC) – to implement a trajectory for the future upgrades to minimum energy performance standards, so part of that is legislative.

Then to improve compliance. Because even when the standards are there, but in practice they are not complied with. These are not design issues, but they are industry issues.

Governments can demonstrate in their own stock by the way they procure and implement projects, using best practice in their own markets. There can be targeted incentives and programs – these are things like accelerated depreciation to encourage the uptake of green equipment and also stamp duty discounts on green homes and properties, and in the planning system – to put incentives in – these are policy issues that can help. The Energy Efficiency Obligation scheme could be introduced to states and territories that don’t have them (only NSW and Victoria do have them).

Outside the design cycle – fuel switching – gas, wood and other fossil fuels need to be switched to electric alternatives and of course you have battery storage potential with that. Many heating and cooking appliances and equipment can be switched to electricity – that’s quite critical into the future. Energy efficiency schemes can incorporate incentives for replacement of non-electrical appliances.

The third area is around deployment of onsite distributed energy systems like solar photovoltaic (PV) or procurement of off-site low carbon electricity – ultimately to the decarbonisation of the electricity grid. Energy market reform can help drive that.

What are some emerging technologies and materials that could be considered for designing sustainable buildings of the future?

• Low cost sensors for monitoring and optimising performance of support systems for buildings. If they are applied more generally it could reduce energy consumption by 20-30%. The costs are rapidly reducing and there’s been work done in the United States Department of Energy around that;
• Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – now work on integrating PV’s into roofing materials – developing modular roofing materials which involve PV’s, insulation and finishes – not yet price competitive, but under development and won’t be long before they can be applied more generally;
• Smart thermometers – can control the output of heating and cooling systems and can also manage around pricing of electricity – not widely applied but in development;
• Geothermal heating and cooling that use the temperature stability of the earth – many architects are using this in design now – can bring significant reduction in energy cost. Other countries such as the US, Canada and the UK are giving rebate schemes for people implementing these;
• Smart glass – glass which switches from clear to tinted can deal with different heat and light conditions – it takes advantage of intensity of light and enables greater insulation and cost savings. In America, there has been a big push for this;
• Monitoring systems – real time feedback of energy use, this is in use now – people able to get data and be aware of their energy use and modify their behaviour or use of appliances accordingly;
• Prefabrication – we are moving to a time in the industry where a lot of housing will become built off-site and assembled on site – this means the time and cost of construction is faster, also the wastage of materials is less and the capacity for adequate thermal performance in the buildings becomes more guaranteed. Associated with this trend is cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction which is a factory production system. The recent amendment to the building code [on CLT] is a very positive move.
  [Editor: See online continuum course ‘NCC Change: Now you can aim higher with timber‘]

Regulation
The 2019 National Construction Code (NCC) is earmarked in the low carbon report as part of a policy recommendation for setting strong mandatory minimum standards.

What areas should be prioritised for review/inclusion to strengthen and improve minimum energy performance standards for the next edition of the NCC (now on a three year cycle)?

We [ASBEC] had a housing workshop in Adelaide between ASBEC and the CRC for low carbon living – it’s been acknowledged that we are quite behind many of the advanced international standards. We’ve got catch up to do, which is a problem with the three year cycle.

ASBEC has a building energy performance standards project. It’s currently focusing on developing and implementing an industry vision for improving energy performance requirements for both residential and commercial buildings. We’re keen to get some certainty to foster innovation and deliver the benefits of this rapidly improving technology (as discussed above) and design approaches to apply them.

We do need to increase minimum energy performance standards for both commercial and residential sectors. It will have to increasingly tighten the minimum standards if we are going to reach zero carbon 2050. Also considering potential improvements in the code to make it simpler and more useful for design and construction professionals to comply with and to monitor. We think the code does need significant review.

ASBEC did a scoping workshop last April with a broad range of stakeholders – refer ASBEC’s Building Energy Performance Scoping Workshop Outcomes Report. The priorities will be establishing that forward trajectory so there’s an agreed stepping up of process and then also to collate evidence on residential stringency – the way it’s really performing.

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) are focused on increasing commercial stringency and including both whole of building requirements and fabrics and systems, and to move towards as-built performance requirements. There is also a need to improve state and territory enforcements, because it is quite variable around the country.

Opportunities
Commercial building retrofitting – ASBEC recently welcomed the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) programme expansion to include 1000sqm buildings.

What role and opportunities should architects take in the retrofitting of commercial buildings?

Architects need to advocate to clients what the opportunities are – to be able to, through evidence, demonstrate economic benefits that can occur in upgrading commercial buildings – it’s tricky because the ownership of commercial buildings is so varied – from large institutional property trusts through to small investors.

Retrofitting buildings for better performance can be a combination of the passive systems as well as the active systems. In mid to small scale commercial buildings, there are great design opportunities of looking intelligently at the way that building systems operate – what you can do to refit and re-adapt buildings – to put new skins on buildings and keep the structure essentially. Doing that work to existing buildings is one of the more sustainable activities you can do, because it doesn’t involve the energy consumption of demolishing and rebuilding. Often there are hidden opportunities for inventive thinking when you are faced with the constraints of an existing building.

Inspiration
What are some recent examples of inspiring and innovative sustainable design in Australia that you would like to share with EDG readers?

• Jeremy McLeod of Breathe Architecture (see EDG May 2016 interview) – I’m really inspired by the work that he’s doing, initially in the Commons, but also Nightingale 1.0 and the whole Nightingale program that other architects are getting involved in. Not only is it about zero carbon buildings – passive design, reliance only on electric fuel and non-use of cars where possible, but also the social side of it which is looking at more compact forms of housing with shared facilities and building communities within the developments. From a social sustainability point of view – it’s a great model.
• The University of Queensland Global Change Institute by Hassell – An experimental building but a zero carbon building. It has won a number of awards including the 2015 National Sustainable Architecture David Oppenheim Award. A building that explores technology but also explores passive systems and looks at the idea of sustainability as a whole experience.
• Changing practice – Models of projects – Josh’s house, Perth – not what I call high design, but it’s very responsive and responsible and it shows what can be done – how it can be completely off the grid and you can have a very light carbon footprint. As a model to show others what can be done – I think that’s an inspiration.
• Community development – Landcorp’s White Gum Valley (south of Perth) – A zero carbon community – important as models, ‘living laboratories’, to demonstrate what can be done and which can then influence the behaviour of others.
• Recently I was able to visit Indigo Slam by Smart Design (William Smart), which won the Wilkinson Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) in the NSW Architecture Awards this year. While it’s a big house – the use of natural daylight, the use of heat exchangers, the use of non-electronic simple mechanical winder systems to draw air through the house is really quite impressive. It’s a beautiful work of architecture but it is really taking seriously the issue of low energy. It’s great to see that happening, not just at the committed environmentalist end, but also at the high design end of the spectrum.

For me the exciting thing is that, decades ago, sustainability was seen as separate from the mainstream of the profession – we’ve seen that shift over time. Responsive and responsible architecture is really what we all need to be doing now and it’s great to see this emerging – many younger architects are taking it very seriously.

The other shift is working at the level of the precinct and the level of the city, and also seeing sustainability much more entwined with the health and delight of our daily lives. Out of the imperative to reduce carbon emissions, I believe we’re going to see a lot of positive things come about in terms of health benefits and community building, and also creativity and innovation in design.

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