Jorge Chapa

Materials & Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance members might be interested in an upcoming MECLA briefing on ASBEC's Issues Paper on Upfront Embodied Carbon Project. The issues paper has been released and ASBEC is seeking feedback on whether the most important issues have been captured as part of a comprehensive policy framework being developed for the built environment around reducing embodied carbon. Here more about the issues paper and have your say. Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) https://lnkd.in/gveG8dQM

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The UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard is out! It is probably the most advanced NZC standard in the world. It remains voluntary and some of the rules need industry testing, but it is a giant step in the right direction and there is more to come. I will be talking about this at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Conference today. Do get in touch with me, or with Andrew Moore, Carolina Caneva, Anna Tsoumi to find out more. #netzerocarbon #climateemergency #inthistogether #UKNZCBS Hilson Moran

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Architects are you interested in the systemic risks in the Australian architecture sector? Read on... The ARBV and NSW ARB recently completed a joint research project and report into the Australian architecture profession. The report covers 4 key areas: 1. Client-architect relationships and agreements 2. D+C procurement 3. NCC compliance 4. Disruptive change I had a small role, contributing my thoughts to the Disruptive Change focus group. My thanks to the NSW Architects Registration Board for the invitation. For a taste, here’s the summary of the risks identified in Disruptive Change: - The architecture profession's overall awareness and readiness for disruptive change, especially regarding climate and technology, are likely limited. - Practical challenges hindering adaptation, including lack of resources, may mean some practices are better equipped to respond to change than others. - Adjustments to service delivery may be necessary to maintain professional standards and seize opportunities arising from disruptive change. There's a lot here for the profession to chew on. The full reports and summaries can be found under the “Resources” tab here: https://lnkd.in/gbFuTApi

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We are developing a Roadmap consisting of prioritised and scaffolded strategies for lowering embodied emissions in the built asset sector (https://lnkd.in/gAGpuiAn). If you have interest in embodied carbon reduction initiatives in the broader construction industry, we invite you to participate in this questionnaire survey. The survey is estimated to take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The results of this research will offer practical guidance for organisations in the building and construction industry to plan, formulate, and implement policies, systems, and processes to measure and report embodied carbon emissions. Please #like and #repost to your network and send the survey link to relevant contacts in your respective organisations. To participate, please click on the following link: https://lnkd.in/gAGpuiAn

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Regenerative design…the only way forward.

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Yesterday's announcement regarding the State Government and SEQ Council's Green Infrastructure projects boost to enhance urban sustainability is incredibly exciting. This funding ranging from $1M to $5M - available for Council-driven projects - will go towards key green urban infrastructure investments that will: 1. Enhance access to and provision of active transport infrastructure with green infrastructure features in urban environments for all. 2. Reduce localised urban heat island effects. 3. Support healthy lifestyles through the design of the built environment. 4. Improve urban green connectivity and deliver enhanced urban biodiversity. The design industry (across all disciplines) has been advocating for green infrastructure for a long time and it is great to see this level of specific and focussed investment, particularly with the eyes of the world set to gaze on Brisbane in 2032. Irrespective of the Games, it is the right thing to do. Time is of the essence and we don't have a minute to waste. Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Australian Institute of Architects Design Institute of Australia Planning Institute of Australia Melanie West David Roberts Vicki Barclay Lisa Mercer Espe Suarez Kelly Ben Stockwin

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#SergioSadaba, Principal, Stantec, BuildingDesign Media, #Industrial #Facilities, "Eight Ways to Cool a #Factory," Saturday, 08 June 2024 - Industrial facility #design can address factory #overheating and #promote #worker #wellness in #manufacturing plants. (https://lnkd.in/gcwpeSrd) 1. Promote effective #ventilation 2. #Exhaust the #hot #air 3. #Spot #cool occupied spaces 4. #Relocate or raise heat-producing #equipment 5. Keep it #dry 6. #Shade the #windows and use #LED #lighting 7. Increase #insulation and airtightness 8. Use #conditioned air or localized air conditioning There is no magic trick to making factories more comfortable. Combination of the points above in smart, low-emissions factory designs with an emphasis on well-being and an eye on budget is a start. There’s no reason the 21st-century manufacturing facility can’t be a healthy place to work. #heat #illness #hydration #trees #sustainable

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Infrastructure Australia has released a new report called the 'Embodied Carbon Projections for Australian Infrastructure and Buildings'. This report establishes a baseline for upfront embodied carbon in Australia's built environment, covering projections from 2022–23 to 2026–27. Key points: ✅ Buildings and infrastructure directly account for a third of Australia's total carbon emissions and indirectly for over half. Construction activities are projected to produce 37-64 Mt CO₂e annually for the next five years, totaling 247 Mt CO₂e. ✅ Upfront emissions (A1-A5) account for 7% of Australia’s national emissions in 2022-23, primarily from the manufacture of construction materials. The report suggests that 23% of these emissions can be abated by 2026-27 with practical decarbonisation strategies. ✅ Immediate action is crucial! Reducing embodied carbon emissions offers significant and immediate abatement. Additional reductions are achievable through design optimisation and less-build strategies. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gB5uKRRh. #InfrastructureAustralia #SustainableInfrastructure #CarbonReduction

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What does the #Australian #embodied #carbon reduction roadmap look like? "Australia needs to tackle embodied carbon to achieve its #netzerocarbon emissions by #2050 target. The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) believes a comprehensive #policy #roadmap across the #builtenvironment is needed to allow the establishment of robust and measurable targets for reducing embodied carbon across buildings and infrastructure. While several initiatives are underway across several jurisdictions, alignment is needed across a common program, definition, benchmarks, and databases." ASBEC Fortunately, a common path will be adopted through NABERS in the #2025 Australian Building Codes Board #NCC. To be successful, Australian governments need to: → Scale, deepen and align with the work of NABERS’ upfront #embodied #carbon #measurement methodology. → Support the #supplychain to deliver #lowcarbon products and services. → Support the #value #chain to deliver #lowcarbon design and construction outcomes. → Adapt #embodiedcarbon #policy for the needs of different segments and sectors. → Incorporate #operational & #embodied carbon in the #businesscase templates, #investmentlogic and procurement frameworks at all levels of Australian Government Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is the peak body representing organizations committed to a sustainable, productive, resilient #builtenvironment in #Australia. Read more about the ASBEC Issue paper on Embodied carbon emissions in Australia’s built environment in the link ASBEC members include Australian Institute of Architects Master Builders Australia Consult Australia Engineers Australia Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Infrastructure Australia Green Building Council of Australia Property Council of Australia https://lnkd.in/gj-V4WyT

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Transform Urban Spaces with Green Infrastructure At Ellenby, we proudly sponsored the recent Grounded symposium by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA, focusing on the critical role of green infrastructure in shaping sustainable, livable urban spaces. Why does this matter? As urban areas face climate challenges like heat, drought, and pest threats, greening efforts must extend beyond public spaces into private properties. Here's what we learned: Beyond Public Lands: With shrinking block sizes and increased urban tree loss, private and verge greening are crucial. Value Green Spaces: Tools like the Green Factor Tool can assess sustainability, while TAFE funding is crucial for developing skills in horticulture and arboriculture. Community Resilience: Transform spaces using Indigenous knowledge and connect with Noongar land. Greening is both a spatial and social solution. Innovative Solutions: Projects like Miyawaki forests and verge greening boost biodiversity and resilience. Sustainable Design: The My Home project in North Fremantle is a prime example of community-focused design addressing homelessness. [LD Total managed the installation of trees, we donated from Ellenby for this project.] Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD): A holistic approach to WSUD and ecologically resilient landscapes is essential for lasting green infrastructure. Investing in green infrastructure today means a brighter, more sustainable future for our cities. Let's work together to create urban spaces that thrive with nature. Feel free to reach out to us at Ellenby Tree Farm for more insights on integrating green infrastructure into your projects. Craig Woodroffe, Michelle Rocca, Ric Woodroffe Sustainable design: My Home Project https://lnkd.in/gEDsjja8 ABC News https://lnkd.in/gqvuzDUb #Sustainability #Greenspace #UrbanCanopy Heather Wallace

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Big news for those working in the sustainable building industry in #Melbourne! Great leadership has been taken by the City of Melbourne. 🏗 Amendment C376 (Sustainable Building Design Amendment) 🏗   Update to Melbourne’s Planning Scheme (supported by Future Melbourne Committee on Tuesday night) for new developments to implement sustainability and green infrastructure policy, and introduce new mandatory/discretionary ESD standards and requirements. Applications will need to consider new planning and improving outcomes for:  - Biodiversity and waterways (Cl02.03) – greening of buildings  - Sustainable development (Cl02.03 and Cl15.01) – focus on energy efficiency  - Sustainable transport (Cl02.03 and Cl15.01)  - Stormwater management - water sensitive urban design (Cl19.03) Big ticket item: Introduces requirements around BESS, Green Factor Tool and #GreenStar (from Green Building Council of Australia) (for buildings >5000sqm) for new developments. 👍

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🔗🌳🔗🏙️ All cities rely on a network of infrastructure, assets and essential services. Whether due to climate related events, cyber-attacks, or rapid urban growth, any link in our complex urban infrastructure systems have the potential to fail >> https://lnkd.in/gYFFR_iE And when failure happens, the impact is colossal. Take the 2023 Optus telecommunications outage, for example. It caused massive disruptions to hospital services, and access to phone, internet, and digital payments. During the 2022 East Coast Floods, disruptions to the rail line for 10 days resulted in councils, hospitals and commercial buildings across Sydney having to store their own waste until rail services were restored. Shocks or disruptions to our infrastructure networks flow across services and supply chains, posing major risks to business and communities. We are only as strong as our weakest links. Now more than ever, our infrastructure network must be resilient amidst increasing climate risk and urban growth. Our new report, ‘No weak links: limiting the impact of infrastructure failure on Sydney’s essential services' identifies five core insights on how to enable infrastructure for resilience across Greater Sydney: ➡️ Decisions about infrastructure assets and systems need to respond to both the most likely and most extreme climate scenarios ➡️ Post-disaster investment should be based on lived experience and betterment opportunities to improve business and community continuity ➡️ Existing #criticalinfrastructure legislation (state and federal) enables sharing of protected data, but can also restrict sectors to a narrow focus on their own resilience and response to hazards, and limits recognition of social infrastructure in enabling recovery and resilience ➡️ Collaborative governance is needed to improve coordinated investment between infrastructure sectors to prepare for future disruption ➡️ There is limited formal recognition of the critical role that blue-green infrastructure (trees, plants, parks and waterbodies) play in risk management, while First nations knowledge around bushfire and drought management is under-utilised. 📖 Read the full Committee for Sydney report, which includes our key moves for enabling infrastructure resilience >> https://lnkd.in/g2P-43qP Katie Vines Dr Christobel Ferguson Michael Nolan Siobhan Toohill Michael Berkowitz Hala Hubraq Louise Shepherd Elias Visontay Emma Whale Kerry Robinson OAM Kaitlin Shilling Beck Dawson Said Hirsh Elizabeth Mossop Vida Cheeseman Adam Donnelley Penny Joseph Jongsok Oh Kathryn Silvester Russell Wise Paul Box CSIRO Kelly Williamson Lindy Deitz Aaron Coutts-Smith Steve Hartley David Schlosberg Nathan Robertson-Ball Adam Davis Alice Simpson-Young Michaela Aspell Justine Jarvinen Anthony Baerwinkel Matt Floro Tony Chappel https://lnkd.in/gy8PqcHU

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According to Renew, "Australian homes are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and the energy ratings we use to design them are not yet responding to the threat." Their modelling says newly built, thermally efficient homes will outperform older homes in resilience to heat, but the changing climate is going to put this resilience under pressure. In fact, their modelling found that by 2070, a 7-Star home built in 2024 will face similar indoor temperatures during hot summer conditions as a 1.1-Star uninsulated home does today. Meanwhile, if left unrenovated, that 1.1-Star home will face even more extreme indoor temperatures. It is essential we take urgent action rehabilitate the thermal performance of our worst performing homes, and to better address future needs when building new homes. Read more from Renew here: https://lnkd.in/gs_v6GAS #insulation #thermalperformance #climateresilience #adaptation #energyefficiency

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ICYMI The Australian Transport Assessment and Planning (ATAP) Guidelines are highly relevant to landscape architects in Australia, particularly those involved in projects related to urban planning, transport infrastructure, and sustainable development. These guidelines provide a framework for best practices in transport planning and assessment, which intersect with the work of landscape architects in several key ways: ·      Integration of Transport and Urban Design: Landscape architects often contribute to the design of public spaces, streetscapes, and green infrastructure that must align with transport planning. The ATAP Guidelines help ensure that these designs are compatible with broader transport objectives, such as improving accessibility, safety, and sustainability. ·      Sustainability Goals: The guidelines emphasise sustainable transport solutions, such as active transport (walking and cycling) and public transit. Landscape architects play a crucial role in designing environments that encourage these modes of transport by creating pedestrian friendly streetscapes, bike paths, and transit-oriented developments. ·      Assessment Tools: The ATAP Guidelines include methodologies for cost-benefit analysis and project appraisal. Landscape architects can use these tools to evaluate the economic and social impacts of their designs within transport-related projects. ·      Collaboration with Planners and Engineers: By understanding the ATAP Guidelines, landscape architects can better collaborate with transport planners and engineers to create cohesive designs that integrate transport infrastructure with the surrounding landscape. In summary, the ATAP Guidelines provide a valuable resource for landscape architects working on projects where transport planning intersects with urban design and environmental considerations. They offer a structured approach to align landscape architecture practices with national standards for transport assessment and planning. https://www.atap.gov.au/

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SUSTAINABILITY // Built Environment Key Sector in Transition to Circular Economy The Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group's interim report highlights the built environment's crucial role in Australia's transition to a circular economy. Despite its potential for circularity, barriers like fragmented policies and limited information on recycled materials exist. Recommendations include integrating end-of-life considerations into building codes and promoting circular practices in public procurement. This follows a CSIRO study revealing Australia's circularity rate lags behind the global average. Additionally, a new Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy will require sustainability outcomes for businesses bidding on large government construction projects starting July 1st 2024, including circularity. Read more here: https://hubs.li/Q02zMv5n0 #Fairview #CountonFairview #Sustainability #BuiltEnvironment #CircularEconomy

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Can transport planning be planned through an ethics of care? This is a question we asked ourselves about the state of transport planning in Victoria over the past 10 years. In this paper, my co-authors (Rebecca Clements Dr Ian Woodcock and James Whitten) and I reflect on the challenges facing transport planning and infrastructure planning and we are pleased to share with you the culmination of that thinking in this paper. An earlier version of this paper was awarded the Peter Harrison Memorial Prize at the State of Australasian Cities Conference in 2019. We hope this open access paper will be read by fellow transport researchers, advocates and practitioners who, like us, may be wondering how we can design and deliver transport systems that can both support mobility as well as amplify equity and justice claims in transport planning. We also hope this paper will support a conversation about how we teach transport planning in our planning schools where questions about professional ethics remain vital. We conclude the piece by stating that “An ethics of transport planning fit for our times is both a personal and collective effort. It is about how those in the profession of transport planning and allied professions and disciplines cultivate values to guide practice.” Education, research, advocacy and reflective practice lie at the heart of this collective discussion and shift.   https://lnkd.in/gz5fHU9b  

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What a brilliant way to introduce yourself to the Regen Melbourne ecosystem! Take a moment to read Yasmina Dkhissi's profound reflections on the nature of adaptation in a time of uncertainty. Yasmina is RM's new Adaptive Futures Lead, working as part of our Systems Lab exploring the enabling conditions for urban transformation. I love her framing of adaptation in three overlapping elements: adaptive infrastructure, adaptive capacity and adaptive connectedness. These create rich questions for us to explore together: 🌳 (adaptive infrastructure): How might we prepare and adapt for the climate change risks and impacts on Greater Melbourne? 👯 (adaptive capacity): How might we build our collective capacity to adapt to changing conditions and trends? 🌻 (adaptive connectedness): How might we shift our relationship and connection to nature – the way we view and value our natural ecosystem? https://lnkd.in/dChfmSGq

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Day 0 of CTBUH Conference 2024: New or Renew Today I was thrilled to join James Helal, University of Melbourne and Lewis Hunter, Ramboll to present our investigation of regional and methodological differences in life cycle assessment. We analysed a single completed building with known material and energy quantities, and asked two questions: 1. What would be the life cycle carbon footprint of this exact building if it was in a different city? 2. What would be the life cycle carbon footprint of this exact building if it was assessed through a different LCA methodology? The results were stark - encompassing a range from 335 kgCO2e/m2 to 1,802kgCO2/m2. Variations in life cycle inventory or EPD data and scope definitions between (and even within) countries mean we have a long way to go before LCA results for different buildings can be meaningfully compared. But we can’t wait for perfection, or global agreement on scope and methodology. What matters is that we count something - and then use this to help inform design choices for better and more efficient buildings, and to the point of this year’s conference more reuse of existing structures. We are advocating for collection of the fundamental material data that’s not subject to local or methodological interpretation. How much concrete? How much glass? This would enable direct comparison of fundamental design efficiencies, and would facilitate methodologically comparable LCA assessments now or in the future as science develops. Thanks to everyone who contributed and especially our fellow workshop presenters Eddie Jump, elena mele, John Kilpatrick and James Adams, and facilitators Joseph Dardis, P.E. and Stefan Abidin #CTBUH2024 Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)

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