Enabling design for environmental good – sub report – buildings

‘Enabling Design for Environmental Good’ is a project that deploys insights and approaches from design, innovation, and sustainability to propose a suite of actions to improve the design and specification of products, materials, and processes in the Australian context. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (previously The Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment) commissioned an RMIT-led consortium, with Arcadis and One Planet Consulting, to run the ‘Enabling Design for Environmental Good’ Project (the Project). This is an extract from the original project report, focusing specifically on the buildings sector which was selected as it holds significant potential for impact on the Australian economy. For this project, the buildings sector is considered to encompass the physical products and materials in buildings (not including operating energy, and water). The Australian construction sector is the third largest industry (Ai Group 2015) and produces around 11% of GDP in value-added terms (Garret 2020). The industry’s influence on the Australian economy is amplified by its extensive and predominantly domestic supply chain, both upstream and downstream. Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste generation is growing faster than municipal and commercial waste streams, in both absolute and per capita terms (Blue Environment 2020). The scale and significance of construction provide both the rationale and opportunity for engagement in design for environmental good.