Minister for cities and the built environment
In a move welcomed by the Australian Institute of Architects, ASBEC and allied industry bodies, Jamie Briggs has been appointed Australia’s first ever Minister for Cities and has established a 20-strong Cities and Built Environment Taskforce. Integrated planning, infrastructure funding and ‘greening’ cities have been identified as the three main policy goals in Malcolm Turnbull’s agenda for cities.
For further reading:
‘A minister for cities and the built environment’, The Fifth Estate, September 21 2015
‘What they said: Australia’s first minister for cities and the built environment’, The Fifth Estate, September 21 2015
‘PM Turnbull appoints new minister for cities’, Architecture AU, September 22 2015
‘Politics podcast: Jamie Briggs on the infrastructure needs of Australian cities’, The Conversation, September 30 2015
‘New Cities and Built Environment Taskforce’, Government News, October 6 2015
NCC 2016 Section J draft changes
Following draft consultation for the National Construction Code 2016, industry professionals widely condemned the proposed changes, particularly in relation to Section J, suggesting that the standard of energy efficiency delivered by the proposed changes will be substantially lower than current regulations. Changes to the NCC are due to take effect from May 2016 as a 3 year cycle. A consistent industry response was the recommendation that the following clauses should be removed from the proposed changes:
- Volume 2: V2.6.2.1 Verification using a stated value
- Volume 1: JV2 Verification using a stated value and
- The addition of class 2 buildings to Volume 1: JV3 Verification using a reference building
Responses to the changes included a dedicated independent industry group, see:
SECTION J 2016 An Industry Response
For further reading:
Alan Pears: defer National Construction Code changes or “create a mess”, The Fifth Estate, 28 July 2015
ASBEC’s position on NCC 2016
Australian Institute of Architects submission response
NatHERS and the tropics
The applicability of NatHERS to various Australian climates has been the source of ongoing industry debate and discussion, including criticism by the 2014 Gold medallist winners, Troppo architects, Phil Harris and Adrian Welke. Harris has since been appointed chair of a Northern Territory Domestic Building Code Review Group set up to examine the incompatibility of the NCC with tropical climate design, see: Phil Harris chairs Top End building code review, Architecture AU, 21 Sep 2015. Tony Isaacs weighed into the debate earlier this year with his article ‘The Emperor’s new Speedos: how home energy ratings really work in the tropics‘, Architecture AU, 10 March 2015. Clarifying that NatHERS tools do not assume a sealed box, Isaacs nevertheless acknowledged the limit of what the tools can assess.
Having lived for a period of over two years in Kakadu National Park, I can personally attest to the comfort of the Troppo/Glen Murcutt designed Bowali visitor centre. In a challenging climate (averaging 35 degrees throughout the year), the Bowali visitor centre, albeit not housing, became one of my favourite places to visit – open to breezes with large overhangs for shade, and the thermal mass of rammed earth deliberately shaded to absorb the coolth. Troppo and Murcutt reportedly spent time in the rock overhangs of Kakadu, examining their cooling properties. The result was climate and place responsive architecture that was ultimately comfortable to be in, not dissimilar to the approach of this year’s gold medallist Peter Stutchbury, as reviewed here.