Summer 2023-24

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.

AIRAH’s Infection Control and Operating Theatre Practices Special Technical Group is taking a close look at hospital air quality guidelines.

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.

Although the use of CO2 in refrigeration has become common in supermarket and retail applications, the misconception that it is limited to refrigeration alone is being undone with the trial of a direct–expansion CO2 HVAC system at Woolworths Gordon, on Sydney’s north shore.

Ecolibrium catches up with the Melbourne-based vice president of operations for Conserve It.

ARBS has named Amanda Searle as its new CEO. With more than 25 years of experience in marketing, communications, and events, Searle is poised to lead ARBS into its next phase.

SWEP has launched the ultra-pressure B285H product, offering a solution for transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems.

In November, the planet briefly exceeded a dreaded milestone: 2°C of warming above pre-industrial levels.

Camfil has launched a corrosion control monitor called the AirImage-COR that monitors corrosion in real time. The technology uses electrical resistance (ER) sensors to help mitigate the risk of corrosion.

Adelaide-based Nathan Budarick, M.AIRAH, is a research and development technician/engineer for Seeley.

So, we are almost at the end of 2023 – where does the time go? Here’s the thing: we are focused on net zero and carbon neutrality, but what has been done in the past 12 months to reach our targets, and where will we be at the end of the next 12 months, I wonder?  

Recent professional opinions on the use of AI in real–world building applications have raised some concerns with Alan Obrart, L.AIRAH.

One test of an award program’s veracity is how well the decision to bestow plaudits is viewed through the lens of time.

Almost everyone who works on HVAC in Australia would be familiar with the AS 1668 series. Right now, AS 1668.2 and AS 1668.4 – which between them cover mechanical and natural ventilation in buildings – are open for public comment.

Employers that care about the wellbeing of their staff, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders do better in the long run, writes Professor Gayle Avery.

As a result of the increased contribution of renewable energy for electricity generation and rising gas prices, there has been a shift from natural gas to electric-based heating in recent times. Commonly used electric heating technologies in the built environment include electric resistance, and air- or water-source heat pumps (hereafter known as “conventional heat pumps”). However, a key concern in the industry has been the use of refrigerants that have high Global Warming Potential (GWP) and other refrigerants that are flammable and/or toxic.  

Grimshaw announces the appointment of  David Ritter as Sustainability Lead – Australia and New Zealand, reinforcing the practice’s global net zero carbon and regenerative design commitments.