Reuse, Retrofit, Recycle

REUSE, RETROFIT, RECYCLE
2 FORMAL CPD POINTS

As designers, builders, and engineers we know that the construction industry is a major contributor to the environmental pressures the world is facing. We also know that to reach the goal of net zero carbon by 2050 we must find the most sustainable ways to deliver projects and guide our clients along this path.

Repurposing, retrofitting or “adaptive reuse” of existing buildings is one way for designers to achieve sustainable outcomes and generate commercial and social returns on their projects.

According to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction 2018 Global Status Report, 11% of global emissions are attributed to building materials and construction and a further 32% of emissions attributed to “industry” includes building finishes and equipment.

As our property operations start to transition to decarbonized energy sources, the embodied carbon within our existing and new structures will become a vital opportunity that must be embraced to address climate change and resource depletion.

While adaptive reuse provides possibilities for sustainable outcomes, we also can look for opportunities in the recycling and manufacturing of by-products on buildings by looking closely at how to deal with waste. 

Materials used in the creation of buildings create waste which is sent to landfill, or other unsustainable disposal methods. 

Internationally recognised UNSW Materials Scientist, Professor Veena Sahajwalla, believes that … “waste itself, can, and should be seen, as a resource if we want more sustainable outcomes in managing building materials and waste impact…”

Join us next month for a CPD webinar, delivered by leading design and engineering experts, who will describe how they have adapted existing building structures and how these projects have positively influenced sustainable outcomes.

Some of the areas our expert panel will present on include:

• Adapting existing building structures whilst enhancing performance and functionality.

• Case studies of adaptive reuse, Broadmeadows Town Hall (Kerstin Thompson Architects) Espy Hotel & Garden State Hotel, Melbourne (Techne Architects), & architectural landscaping projects Cockatoo Island clifftop walk, NSW and Bungarribee Park, NSW (JMD Design).

• Understanding the decision-making process around deciding to reuse/demolish.

• What designers/ project stakeholders need to be doing to make sure that something can be retrofitted.

• Circular economy principles of transforming building waste products into materials for remanufacture.

• Understanding why materials are becoming more important to decarbonise.