Mark Vender
The Australian Architects Declare (AAD) and Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) National Climate Action Sustainability Committee (NCASC) are delivering a practice-focused workshop on the importance of architecture in improving buildings as they achieve 100 per cent electrification.
Homage to a pioneer
The event will pay tribute to sustainability champion Jeff Robinson, M.AIRAH, who passed away last month. The event is supported by the Emerging Architects Network of Architecture (EmAGN), Students Organised Network of Architecture (SONA), AIRAH, ASBEC, Engineers Australia, the Property Council of Australia, and MECLA.
The session will explore strategies to improve comfort and resilience through design, reducing buildings’ lifetime operational carbon through fabric-first efficiency, and 100 per cent electrification.
The goal is to aid projects to “de-gas” in line with RAIA’s target to eliminate the use of natural gas in all new buildings from 2025.
“Our profession is seen in many economic sectors to hold the key to designing out the need for gas and fossil fuels in the built environment from the outset through good design,” says RAIA.
“It is an opportunity to hone skills and capacity in electrification to assist efficiently designed buildings across many scales of projects, relay the benefits to client(s) and provide appropriate project checklists.”
Panel of experts
Dominique Hes, M.AIRAH, will MC the event and introduce the broader electrification themes covered in the presentation. Panellists will include Oliver Grimaldi, Cundall; Noy Hildebrand, BECA, ESD and sustainability strategy on behalf of sustainable indoor environments; Jeremy McLeod, Breathe Architects; and Kennedy Nolan, Retrofit.
The group will speak about the implications of electrification for bigger buildings, including facade performance, HVAC, strategic connections to the grid, and designing efficiently with circular economy principles in mind.
The session will also feature contributions from people whom Robinson mentored and who were closest to him, as well as others who have dedicated their careers to pushing the envelope towards 100 per cent electrification.
Event details
The online event will be held on June 20, 2024, from 4–6pm (AEST).
The cost is $20, which will be donated to Jeff Robinson’s Sustainable Forest through Greenfleet (minus booking fees).
A recording will be made available after the event via the RAIA’s Refuel platform.
Registration is through Humanitix.
Image shows 83 Pirie, Adelaide’s first all-electric office building.
Leave a Reply