More than in many countries, in Australia home ownership has traditionally been seen as a journey, with most of us aspiring to own a home and pay down a mortgage by the time we retire.
Because it’s been seen as a one-way street, we have tended to worry most about the first big transition: moving from renting to getting a mortgage, assuming that afterwards things will be okay. But things are becoming more complicated.
The charts below are built from microdata from the Bureau of Statistics survey
Regional cities beware – fast rail might lead to disadvantaged dormitories, not booming economies
Governments are looking to fast rail services to regional cities to relieve population pressures in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The federal government is funding nine business cases for such schemes. But what economic effect might these fast links have on the regional cities?
The current fast rail schemes seem oriented at relieving population pressures in the major cities rather than a productive regional economic purpose. The minister for population, cities and urban infrastructure recently
Solutions for energy efficiency. 10 years of European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA)
The European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) is a successful joint initiative between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission (Smart Finance for Smart Buildings).
It offers technical assistance for investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings and innovative urban transport projects through schemes.
The objective is to accelerate investments by building experience, facilitating financing and overcoming barriers.
Moreover, to encourage even more investments
Singapore's Net Zero Energy Building: A roadmap for the future?
net zero energy, renewable energy, heating, cooling, photovoltaic 16/07/19 09:32Build Up
https://www.construction21.org/articles/h/singapore-s-net-zero-energy-building-a-roadmap-for-the-future.html
Singapore's Net Zero Energy Building: A roadmap for the future?
National University of Singapore’s (NUS) School of Design and Environment (SDE) building, the SDE4, certainly stands out for its unique structure.
SDE4 is NUS's foremost net-zero building, and the first of its kind in Singapore to be built from scratch. SDE4 gets its power through a "solar farm" on its roof which comprises over 1,200 solar photovoltaic panels and boasts a range of innovative building strategies that focus on improving the well-being of its users.
The SDE4 building makes use of the
CUBE 2020: Addressing the energy transition for non-residential buildings
CUBE 2020 – A contest for generating energy and CO2 savings
Large companies are looking to equip themselves with a bottom-up approach to foster environmental performance in buildings to complement the top-down policies available in their significant portfolios (certifications, ISO 50001, facility management progress plans, etc.). Having noticed this market need, a contest – CUBE 2020, was created in 2013 by the French Institute for Building Efficiency (IFPEB), alongside global companies, asset managers
Manual of mechanisms and business models for energy efficiency
This manual was conducted by BASE (Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy), as part of the project “Pilot Asia-Pacific Climate Technology Network and Finance Centre” (CTNFC). CTNFC is an initiative of UN Environment and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Energy efficiency is a highly‑effective and economic way to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy efficiency measures could result
3rd Experts meeting of IEA EBC Annex 79 “Occupant-Centric Building Design and Operation”
As of June 2019, Annex 79 has been approved for a three-year working phase! The first meeting of this phase will take place in Perugia Italy on Sept. 9-10, 2019
As building envelopes and mechanical and electrical equipment become more efficient, the impact of occupants on building energy increases.
Meanwhile trends in teleworking, co-working, and home-sharing mean vastly different occupancy than the standard occupancy schedules.
Finally, global expectations for comfort are increasing, while
Sekoya, first platform entirely dedicated to low carbon materials and processes
Eiffage launches Sekoya, the first carbon & climate platform dedicated entirely to low-carbon materials and processes
Eiffage has made innovation and ecological transition two pillars of its strategic plan, and in partnership with the construction innovation specialist, Impulse Partners, is now rolling out Sekoya: a carbon & climate platform dedicated entirely to low-carbon materials and processes.
With climate change becoming a reality, Eiffage is committed to a low-carbon strategy. The Group intends
Final Conference of EPATEE What can we learn from existing evaluation practices?
EPATEE (Evaluation Into Practice to Achieve Targets for Energy Efficiency) is an EU funded project which aims at giving EU Member States tools and knowledge for a better evaluation of their own energy efficiency policies. This project will last 30 months from May 2017 to October 2019, and is led by a consortium of 10 partners from 8 European countries.
The aim of EPATEE’s final conference is to present the conclusion of the project as well as to provide a platform for stakeholders to exchange
SBE BEYOND 2020 - CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
H202012/07/19 11:45Build Up
https://www.construction21.org/articles/h/sbe-beyond-2020-call-for-abstracts.html
SBE BEYOND 2020 - CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
As part of an SBE | Sustainable Built Environment conference series, BEYOND 2020 will not only serve as a stand-alone world conference with independent paper requirements and review process, but will also embrace the key findings from the 16 Regional Conferences taking place worldwide in 2018-2019.
OUR AMBITION
The overall ambition of the World Sustainable Built Environment conference, BEYOND 2020 is to collectively formulate a transformational plan and set of commitments for the built environment
Energy efficiency: adding architectural value to prefab solutions
Architects don’t usually like prefabricated solutions. But they concede there are upsides, and when time is of the essence, saving the planet becomes the priority
Practical or beautiful? The question doesn’t seem to be relevant when it comes to retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency. Prefabricated solutions are considered to be both efficient and aesthetically pleasing.
However, architects don’t usually agree: to begin with, they feel prefabrication limits their creativity. But there are
Know your market, save more energy
property, retrofitting, energy efficiency10/07/19 14:16youris.com EEIG
https://www.construction21.org/articles/h/know-your-market-save-more-energy.html
Know your market, save more energy
Homeowner or landlord? To convince people to have energy-saving renovations you need to know what they are really looking for
What would motivate you to renovate your house to make it more energy efficient? The cost? The legal framework? An environmental conscience? It also mostly depends on who you are, and if you actually live in your house or if you rent it.
This distinction between homeowners and landlords is not often addressed properly by public authorities or private companies that provide
Overview | Buildings as Material Banks (BAMB) Outcomes at the End of a Research Cycle
In integrative building design, interaction among all building disciplines and stakeholders is sought from the earliest development phases, aiming to achieve optimal solutions through iterative and lean approaches.
The quest for energy efficiency is a key component in this systematic methodology, intending to minimise the burden that construction imposes on the environment, while promoting positive effects, such as a healthy indoor environment, positive social interactions, and maintained or
EIT Climate-KIC supports digital roadmap for a circular economy
EIT Climate-KIC, along with several European stakeholders, is advocating for the alignment of the EU’s circular economy and digital agendas in a discussion paper published today. The paper paves the way for a more extensive final study, scheduled to be published in late autumn 2019.
The document, a Digital Roadmap for a Circular Economy, introduces several key recommendations for EU policymakers for the new five-year political term and examines the role of European policy, economic instruments and
Cities to Be Congress: the program is online!
congress, cities to be, sustainable construction05/07/19 14:09Alliance HQE-GBC
https://www.construction21.org/articles/h/cities-to-be-congress-the-program-is-online.html
Cities to Be Congress: the program is online!
Cities to Be will be a highlight for the sustainable building sectors. For the organizers of this event, Alliance HQE-GBC and Novabuild, Cities to Be intends to be the Congress of commitment, concrete solutions and action. It will allow to discover ground feedbacks, to be informed on innovative projects, to share experiences, good practices and efficient solutions, to enhance European and international know-how. As such, this event aims to encourage and simplify the voluntary commitment of stakeholders
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