Building physics and thermal performance

What does “build tight and ventilate right” mean when applied to multi-residential buildings? Sean Maxwell, AM.AIRAH, investigates.

The Wings is set to be the first office building in Belgium to generate its own geothermal energy and consume no fossil fuel.

Architect and biomimicry professional Jane Toner shares with us the principles of biophilia and the importance of designing buildings that are attuned and responsive to their natural surroundings.

Much has been made of the poor ventilation in Australian classrooms, but the situation is even more dire for thousands of mining, construction and agriculture workers. Mark Vender investigates.

Ecolibrium staff writer Nick Johns-Wickberg explores how a mobile cooling hub in the Harbour City prevented three medical emergencies this summer past.

City of Melbourne chief heat officer Krista Milne talks with Ecolibrium staff writer Nick Johns-Wickberg about managing extreme heat in urban settings.

It’s like a jungle sometimes, but is the grass always greener for buildings that boast green walls and roofs? Laura Timberlake explores.

The owners of a Passivhaus residential development in Melbourne’s inner suburbs have adopted a pragmatic approach to design, ensuring the best possible outcome on a site overshadowed by neighbouring buildings. Sean McGowan reports.

Perched on a rocky crest in Mansfield, Victoria, Robbie J Walker’s off-grid house defies harsh weather conditions to heat and cool itself writes Nick Johns-Wickberg.

A six-storey Amsterdam building comprising laboratories and office space incorporates sustainable thinking from every possible angle, writes Laura Timberlake.

The Victorian Pride Centre is one of the first facilities of its type in the world. Located in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda, the building is a symbol of the freedom of expression and diversity of LGBTIQ communities.

Given a blank page, an engaged client, a set of unique site constraints and permission to invent new ways of bringing a building to operational life, Cundall’s building services and sustainability engineers have created an award-winning design for a net zero commercial tower in Hong Kong.

By embracing the Passivhaus standard, a new apartment building in Palma, Spain, classifies as an nZEB (nearly zero energy building).

Some building owners are happy if their edifice performs adequately. For those making decisions about Quay Quarter Tower, the aspirations were considerably higher. Behold the winner of the 2022 AIRAH Award for Excellence in Innovation.

District heating and cooling could offer an important pathway to decarbonisation – and one of the biggest barriers to its uptake might simply be our mindset, writes Mark Vender.

Using a hybrid of dynamic thermal simulation and detailed hourly spreadsheet calculations, the analysis identified design and operation strategies to size PV and batteries for various degrees of grid independence.

In a quiet street in Sydney’s northern suburbs resides New South Wales’ first Passivhaus Premium certified building. The residential home is the result of more than five years of painstaking research and planning by a family determined to future-proof their investment against climate change.

The LeBron James Innovation Center at Nike World Headquarters (WHQ) embodies the pursuit of excellence in sport and sustainability, writes Mark Vender.

Challenged by site constraints, award-winning architect, builder and developer Oliver Steele pivoted an apartment project to Passivhaus design. As Sean McGowan reports, the decision led to a first in the southern hemisphere.

By taking advantage of Perth’s abundant geothermal resources, a new aquatic centre in Armadale is substantially reducing its reliance on natural gas to heat its swimming pools and indoor areas. Sean McGowan reports on the 2021 AIRAH Awards Excellence in Sustainability finalist.