Study seeks sustainability

West Australian
Saturday 16/5/2009 Page: 50

Increasing sustainability practices and reducing greenhouse emissions from Australian buildings are the aims of a new two-year study by two Curtin University academics. The project, titled Drivers and barriers to sustainability in residential and commercial buildings, started in February, with professor of sustainability Peter Newman and Dr Sandy Bond, senior lecturer in property studies at Curtin Business School, at the helm.

Dr Bond said the research would look at ways of increasing sustainability practices to improve building performance and reduce greenhouse emissions, and to identify proved examples of sustainable development practices and assess the costs, benefits and barriers involved.

"Legislation and government initiatives have been introduced to encourage sustainability in the built environment but it may be from our findings that more could be done," Dr Bond said. "If we find that there is evidence of the economic value of sustainable property development, that would provide an incentive for the development/building industry to build more sustainably."

The project also aims to provide a guiding framework to increase the application of sustainability practices, including selection of greenhouse-friendly products in new and existing buildings. New statistics from the Green Building Council of Australia show buildings are accountable for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr Bond said there were many sustainable practices builders should use. In the residential sector they included passive solar design, ceiling insulation and photovoltaic roof panels to provide solar energyed renewable energy.