Let’s help you with that The Fifth Estate delivers news, views and thought leadership for Australia’s sustainable businesses, starting with the built environment. 45,000 unique visitors monthly 12,000 subscribers to our newsletter sent twice a week Ranked No 1 in social media in the categories of sustainability and energy efficiency (Radian6) More than 7000 social […]
Posted inJobs News
Advertisement: Department of Industry and Science – Senior Energy Efficiency Officer
Department of Industry and Science Senior Energy Efficiency Officer Energy Division Job Title: Senior Energy Efficiency Officer Division: Energy Branch: Energy Productivity Section: Commercial Buildings Team Job Type: Ongoing, Full-time Salary: $74,196 – $83,488 Classification: APS Level 6 Location: Canberra – ACT Reference No: 056/1516WC Closing date: Friday, 28 August 2015 Job Description The Commercial […]
Posted inArticles, Jobs News
Advertisement: Manager, Waste Strategy
$128,454 pa plus superannuation Performance Based Contract – 3 years Option to apply for 19 day month working arrangement This is an exciting, unique and career changing opportunity to make your mark at one of Australia’s premier local government areas. With a strong foundation of environmental master plans, projects and programs, the City of Sydney […]
Posted inMaterials
Could Durra be the world’s most sustainable building panels?
The Durra Panel has been used in some of Australia’s largest commercial undertakings and the company behind the ultra-sustainable product says the residential construction industry is rapidly catching on too. On its website, Ortech Industries labels itself “manufacturer of the world’s most sustainable building material.” It’s a lofty claim but also not easy to dispute. […]
Posted inJobs News
Ken McBryde looking to maximise impact with global design firm Gensler
JOBS CHATTER: One of Australia’s most sustainably-minded architects, Ken McBryde has joined major American firm Gensler, with an eye to maximising his positive effect on the planet. McBryde will act as design director, guiding Gensler’s local operations down an ambitiously sustainable path – when he’s not pursuing his other passion for racing old motorcycles that […]
Posted inConstruction & Development
Another big global trend on the way: capped embodied carbon
n an action that could have wide global implications a team of experts in the UK has proposed that the upfront and embodied carbon of building materials be compulsorily calculated and capped as a requirement of Building Regulations.
Posted inPlanning
Here comes PlanTech to help transform our cities – but how?
Big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and platform technologies are now common terms in our vernacular. But what do they all mean for the complex task of planning sustainable cities?
Posted inInfrastructure & transport
The Good Car Company’s bulk buy model is going national
A Tasmanian social enterprise has sold more electric vehicles in the state than Tesla through its bulk buy model and is now helping motorists in other jurisdictions access affordable second hand EVs
Posted inBuilding
“So much liability if you get things wrong”: here’s a guide to help with the new NSW building standards
Peak bodies of the Australian building industry have released a guide for design practitioners to better navigate recent legislative and regulatory changes aimed at improving building quality and safety in NSW. The reforms were introduced in response to public concern over building standards in the wake of high profile cladding fire incidents, and more recently […]
Posted inJobs News
Ark Resources: ESD Professionals
Ark Resources is looking for people to join their expanding team of ESD professionals in both senior and junior roles.
Posted inNews from the Front Desk
On fishy developments and high rise hatred
Proposed new zoning to allow 45-storey residential towers overlooking the new Fish Market precinct, have invoked about as much disgust as a bag of prawn heads in a hot boot.
Posted inCase Studies
Digital technologies and avoiding complacency: Warnings Australia should heed from the Miami building collapse
The devastating collapse of the Champlain Towers South condos in Miami has triggered alarm bells for Australia’s construction and property sectors. Here’s what we can learn.
Posted inGovernment/Regulations
Europe’s new climate plan: fit for purpose?
As Chancellor Angela Merkel examined the devastation of flood-ravaged Germany this week, where at least 184 people are dead and dozens still missing, she might have pondered whether Europe’s newly announced climate policies are “too little too late”.
Posted inBuilding
Forget the extra bedroom – utecture will tell you how much it costs, to you and the climate
w digital construction design tool utecture allows people to see the carbon footprint of each extra en suite or butler’s pantry as they design their dream home in real time
Posted inRating tools
Perth’s carbon neutral certified apartment building
A build-to-rent development in Perth has been certified carbon neutral under the government’s Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Buildings, with claims it could be the first nationally. Featuring 264 apartments under the banner, Element 27, the project is managed and leased by developer Sentinel Fund Manager Australia, the Australian arm of US property investment […]
Posted inEngineering/Technology
Monash students to create net zero home for international competition
A group of dedicated students from Monash University are about to embark on a two-year sustainable building challenge in which they will design and construct a net-zero energy home in Melbourne. It is part of the annual US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, that draws the participation of universities from all over the world and […]
Posted inBuilding
Aussie company takes part in developing new WELL building standard
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) will further push for building occupant wellbeing with a new rating tool aimed at the continuous monitoring and adaptation of health metrics including indoor air quality, lighting levels, and noise. The WELL Performance Rating will reward building operators for monitoring the health and well-being of their tenants and actively […]
Posted inBusiness & Politics
Queensland government joins zero carbon certification scheme
The Queensland government has become a founding partner in the Zero Carbon Certification Scheme, run by the Smart Energy Council and Hydrogen Australia. The scheme is an industry-led Guarantee of Origin style initiative to assess the embedded carbon in participating hydrogen, ammonia and metals produced in Australia, with the intention of promoting their uptake in […]
Posted inMaterials
How to make net-zero work in the concrete industry
“A sustainable, zero-carbon global economy will, literally and figuratively, rest on concrete.” – Anthony Hobley, head of the World Economic Forum’s Mission Possible Partnership
Posted inJobs News
City of Sydney: Manager Environmental Projects (8173)
The City’s Sustainability Strategy team is seeking an experienced environmental professional to fill the role of Manager Environmental Projects
Posted inJobs News
Market pulse: Construction halt, Transport NSW’s IT hiring bonanza, and more
Construction grinds to a halt across Sydney, Autonomous Energy powers on, NSW transports hiring hundreds of transport workers. Plus architecture firms reshuffle to create more staff opportunities.
Posted inEnergy
Autonomous Energy powers on despite being caught up in fraud scandal
Despite becoming collateral damage in an alleged $400 million dollar fraud scandal, Autonomous Energy (AE) says it remains a viable business and is looking to emerge as smoothly as possible from a period of voluntary administration.
Posted inBuilding
Clause to cut red tape to build back after fires could put homes at risk
A new voluntary clause aimed at cutting red tape for people wishing to rebuild homes after floods and bushfires could undermine local government’s ability to respond to worsening natural disasters fanned by climate change
Posted inBuilding
Large apartment windows – desirable or deadly?
Poorly designed and constructed houses or apartments can be freezing cold in winter or blazing hot on summer days. However, in the temperate climates of metropolitan Australian cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide (climate zone 5 – warm temperate, and 6 – mild temperate, as defined in the National Construction Code), it’s the cold […]
Posted inLibrary
Book review: Sustainability for the Rest of Us by John Pabon
Judging by the cover art, John Pabon may have taken a little inspiration from the hugely successful book “The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson; but in Pabon’s treatise on sustainability, his counter-intuitive approach is to think less about protest and more about persuasion. I’ve followed John on LinkedIn for some […]
Posted inSpinifex
Tim Williams: How communities can cope, and grow, from major occupational upheavals
The coming workplace upheavals, brought by automation and accelerated by Covid, will challenge not just the “hands-on” professions but an increasingly under-employed and un-protected segment of knowledge workers too. Looking back on East London in the 90s, and the scaling back of production at Dagenham’s Ford factory, Tim Williams finds communities can in fact benefit […]
Posted inEnergy
Victoria needs to shut the door on gas
COMMENT: The Victorian government has opened the door to the end of gas in its state; it’s big job. But quite frankly it needs to shut the door. We have alternatives.
Posted inNews from the Front Desk
On governments, business and nature
As we start to engage seriously with the carbon battle, there’s another front looming – the urgent need to deal with nature and the loss of biodiversity. Will industry lead the charge as they have in Australia with carbon?
Posted inEngineering/Technology
Macquarie Telecoms planning major new data centre. Will it be an energy sucker?
Macquarie Telecom Group is seeking approval to build a major 32-megawatt new data centre that the company says will be among the most efficient in the world
Posted inBusiness & Politics
The built environment is on track to be first with net zero – pity the government’s still hobbling progress
The government has badly misfired on rejecting Zali Steggall’s climate bills – especially in lumping all sectors in together, according to built environment leaders and business advocates.
Posted inArticles
GBCA chief Davina Rooney on the sustainable homes tipping point
Several volume home builders are now piloting Green Star Homes that’s set to go live next month.
Posted inWaste and recycling
Shmigel on sorting the waste to energy mess
TALKING RUBBISH: The Clean Energy Finance Corporation recently estimated a national pipeline of up to $7.8 billion in new investments in resource recovery, bioenergy and WTE in the period to 2025; employment benefits of up to 9,000 construction jobs, 2600 indirect jobs and as many as 1400 direct and ongoing jobs, and; the potential across those categories to reduce landfill emissions by as much as 60 per cent.
Posted inArticles
We need to talk about plane fuel
aviation is a major source of carbon emissions, and accounts for a massive 12 per cent of the transportation sector’s carbon footprint.