Sustainable housing in Melbourne has taken two steps forward, with the Victorian Premier Ted Bailleu launching an alliance between architectural service Archicentre and the Robin Boyd Foundation, a charity organisation focusing on the benefits of design.

Architecture firm Grocon also announced the plans for a new apartment building, known as Delta, which will be carbon neutral and made from timber present in the current building site.

When announcing the alliance Mr Baillieu expanded on the positive affects of sustainable housing, including energy savings with buildings remaining cooler in summer and warmer in winter without electrical devices.

“Trained architects use passive solar design to combine materials, methods, building form and the sun’s natural energy to provide year-round comfort in a house.

“Many Victorians may not be aware that a passive solar home can save them thousands of dollars and add extra value to the home when it is sold,” Mr Baillieu said.

Grocon’s development of the Delta building also placed a great emphasis on the future of sustainable building in Australia as having the potential to reduce energy and heating costs.

Currently the greenest building in Australia is Pixel, also made by Grocon, which has received a perfect score of 105 from the Green Building Council of Australia.

Grocon’s General Manager at the Carlton Brewery site, which will be the site of the Delta building, David Waldren said the company was keen to continue going further towards sustainable housing in the development and construction industries.

“With the Federal Government’s announcement that there will be a carbon price from July 1, 2012, we must all be ready for a new way of living and working. The carbon-constrained economy is upon us.

“More importantly, we must commit ourselves to ensuring less carbon is emitted into the global atmosphere to preserve the environment for generations to come,” stated Mr Waldren.

When Premier Baillieu announced the sustainable housing alliance, he expressed his commitment to promoting sustainable energy for cost-benefit reasons

“The Coalition Government is committed to reducing living costs wherever possible – for example by introducing a year-round 17.5 per cent electricity discount for concession card holders – and we are keen to promote passive solar designs and other
ways to reduce costs by improving the design of new or renovated houses,” said Mr Baillieu.

Mr Waldren has stressed the potential for comfort and quality in the designs of buildings such as Delta, which is planned to be ten stories high with 50 apartments.

“Buildings like Delta will bring a new standard of comfort and quality to Australian residential settings,” Mr Waldren said.

“We believe homeowners should have the opportunity to take advantage of technology available around the world and achieve the most sustainable home possible.”

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Maddison Kennedy

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1 Comment for Australia Makes Environmentally Sustainable Buildings Reality

Paul Hickman

This is very inspiring… thank you…

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