Built environment

An innovative building constructed a decade ago is aging gracefully – and usefully.

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.

A recent event in Melbourne explored how the themes of sustainability and indoor air quality are intrinsically linked.

The recent Clean Air Forum in Canberra brought together stakeholders across various disciplines to discuss the next steps to improving indoor air quality. AIRAH attended as a peak engineering body.

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.

An innovative research project initiated by the City of Melbourne has increased energy efficiency in office buildings while also decreasing COVID-19 transmission. Louise Belfield reports.

How do we unlock geothermal energy potential in high-performance buildings? Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre CEO Shayne La Combre has some thoughts.

The Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas is the world’s first hospital to earn LEED Platinum.

It is now widely accepted that ventilation plays a major role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne pathogens, but what are we doing about it? Professor Lidia Morawska fills us in on what is happening – and what we need to tackle next.

Since 1988 the Sydney Football Stadium has been the Harbour City’s premier rectangular field venue, regularly hosting internationals played by the Kangaroos, the Wallabies, Socceroos and Matildas as well as NRL, Super Rugby and A-League games. Find out how the design team had particular sustainability aspirations at heart.

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

The development of a sophisticated control system for an iconic home in Melbourne’s leafy suburbs has not only provided greater comfort to its occupants but broken new ground in predictive climate control systems. Sean McGowan reports on a house that has been home to four generations of the Featherston extended family, having evolved every step of the way.

For more than 30 years, 101 Collins Street has remained one of Melbourne’s most prestigious office building addresses. Now on a path of decarbonisation, its management team aims to leverage the innovation of the HVAC industry to deliver a fully electrified building.

Canberra Grammar School’s new Snow Concert Hall features a subterranean design boasting an innovative ground‑source heat pump system. 

The new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) at Tufts University is a nifty response to a challenging brief.

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.

Located in the heart of the CBD and overlooking the river, Brisbane Quarter is Brisbane’s first truly integrated, world-class mixed-use precinct. Consisting of three buildings, the project presented the ideal scenario for a district-style heating and cooling scheme. Sean McGowan reports on the design and construction of the HVAC systems serving this $1 billion development.

HVAC&R specialists have key role to play if Australia is to meet emissions targets and keep building healthy, argues ARBS Chairman Tony Arnel.

There is a growing chorus that now, perhaps more than ever, institutionalised professions need to question conventional practices in response to evolving public need.