{"id":13607,"date":"2016-08-23T09:35:50","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T23:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.architecture.com.au\/news-media\/?p=13607"},"modified":"2016-08-25T10:44:39","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T00:44:39","slug":"edg-august-2016-ken-maher-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.architecture.com.au\/news-media\/edg-august-2016-ken-maher-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"EDG August 2016 Ken Maher Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"National
National President, Ken Maher. Photo by Brett Boardman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seven questions with Professor Ken Maher on sustainable built environments<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n


\nSmart Cities
\n<\/span>The federal government\u2019s Smart Cities Plan<\/a> was welcomed by the Institute as a timely plan for Australian cities
\n(May 16 policy update<\/a>). 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.<\/p>\n

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?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We [the Institute] really welcome the Smart Cities Plan and the federal government\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Good cities require really good public space, they require the integration of public transport and a shift away from cars \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

We can see the design at a number of levels \u2013 we can see it at a more strategic level \u2013 where things are and that they interrelate well. More importantly, we see it at an urban design level \u2013 essentially the qualities of the public places in the city. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The world we experience is largely the world that is designed. If we don\u2019t 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\u2019ve been quite successful with apartment housing in NSW in particular (SEPP 65 and the Apartment Design Guide<\/a>\u00a0(ADG). Other states are getting interested in design quality issues around housing in the cities.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Net zero buildings
\n<\/span>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<\/a> (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).<\/p>\n

What will a national zero carbon buildings plan look like and what role can architects play in delivering it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting when we talk about net zero buildings \u2013 much of it is to do with what I would call passive design – designing the buildings so they\u2019re not reliant upon energy. That\u2019s the major role that we can play.<\/p>\n

There are clearly technologies that can improve efficiencies, there are technologies that harvest energy, etc. But, really in architecture it\u2019s almost the avoidance of technology that will be the greatest path to success. Technology also assists us in sophisticated ways. But we\u2019ve 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\u2019s really to do with the very poor design of the housing stock. If there\u2019s more intelligently designed houses, we reduce that reliance enormously.<\/p>\n

Retrofitting existing houses and improving them so their performance is better \u2013 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 \u2013 there is a strong need to adapt this stock \u2013 architects have a significant role to play in doing just that.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s happening in multi-residential housing, particularly in NSW through legislation such as SEPP 65 and other environmental performance legislation.<\/p>\n

Another dimension is the building codes themselves and the need for them to be updated [refer Regulation<\/a>]. ASBEC, through its energy efficiency and emissions task group, produced the \u2018Low carbon, High Performance\u2019 report<\/a> which does look specifically at the contribution that the building industry can make to a zero carbon future [Editor \u2013 the Institute is a contributing member of ASBEC].<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Practices, materials and technologies
\n<\/span>What are some practices and technologies available today that can facilitate zero carbon buildings and what would assist their uptake?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u2013 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 \u2013 one is the National Construction Code (NCC) \u2013 to implement a trajectory for the future upgrades to minimum energy performance standards, so part of that is legislative.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 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 \u2013 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\u2019t have them (only NSW and Victoria do have them).<\/p>\n

Outside the design cycle \u2013 fuel switching \u2013 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 \u2013 that\u2019s quite critical into the future. Energy efficiency schemes can incorporate incentives for replacement of non-electrical appliances.<\/p>\n

The third area is around deployment of onsite distributed energy systems like solar photovoltaic (PV) or procurement of off-site low carbon electricity \u2013 ultimately to the decarbonisation of the electricity grid. Energy market reform can help drive that.<\/p>\n

What are some emerging technologies and materials that could be considered for designing sustainable buildings of the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n