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Future direction: green building and sustainable urban development

GHD’s Global Market Leader Paul Morris explores the idea that the future world requires designers to reduce all pollutants, not just greenhouse gases.

‘Minimising consumption of natural resources is at the front and centre of the future of the design and construction process.’

Building a green future: with climate change so high on the global agenda, few of us need persuading when it comes to the importance of sustainable urban development and building design. Making it reality is another matter.

Sustainable design is a holistic way of designing precincts and buildings to minimise environmental impact through:

 A regional response to climate, site and local materials
 Reduced dependency on non-renewable resources
 Increased efficiency in the design of the building envelope and energy systems
 Environmentally sensitive use of materials
 A focus on healthy interior environments
 Environmentally sensitive construction
 Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to innovate

Both the present and future design worlds require the reduction of all pollutants, not just greenhouse gases. Minimising the consumption of natural resources is pivotal to the design and construction process. Green building design is not an end in itself, rather, it is the first step on a journey towards finding solutions to our current environmental needs, as we search for a building practice that is humane, sustainable, efficient, wise and beautiful.

How are design trends developing; what will our future developments look like?

 Companies and countries will place an active emphasis on improving indoor environmental quality for employees and citizens
 Our designs may trend to being less ornate; decoration and ornament will be crafted from those elements needed to make our living and working spaces more comfortable and livable
 There will be thinner floor plates, less deep spaces, with every occupant being closer to pleasing views, daylight and fresh air. We will be healthier and happier
 Double building skins will be used where appropriate, there will be active facades that change according to local conditions and weather
 There will be more shading, from trees, plants and building elements
 Developers will trend towards “Mid height” buildings, with less emphasis on tall towers
 Buildings will have variable transparency, matching climatic conditions
 Buildings will be climate responsive – with openings and shading movable at the control of occupants
 Weather responsive control systems will react to local climate and conditions
 Our cities will be more connected to the earth through geothermal, solar, wind and water harvesting

Before terms such as ‘carbon emissions’ and ‘global warming’ entered the general lexicon, only a handful of environmentally aware architects and designers dared to dream of the possibilities of environmentally sustainable design.

Today, with commercial buildings contributing to around 40% of global CO2 emissions and the widespread availability of sustainable building solutions; green precinct and building design has become a conventional component of the design process as each building strives to reduce contributions to pollution. Instead of just reducing the contribution our buildings make to carbon emissions, we now focus on eliminating CO2 emissions entirely. In other words, we endeavour toward carbon neutral precincts and buildings.

How GHD shift focus on sustainable design

Traditional design delivery involves numbers of technical staff sitting at their own desk, in different offices, coming together once or twice during the design process, and delivering their own design discipline largely in isolation.

The global move to greater energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact has meant that designers are forced to work collaboratively right from day one. This level of collaboration is essential, particularly for developments that are seeking a high energy efficiency ratings. GHD harness each and every discipline required to get a green building design off the ground.

With integrated sustainable building practice at its core, GHD is leading work on green precinct and building projects around the globe.

“We don’t see green building as a separate discipline in the company. It is something that each of our engineers and architects do in their day to day practice.”

The demand for more environmentally-friendly buildings has led to many companies in the building planning, architecture and engineering sector creating new workgroups and developing new skills.

But for GHD’s Property & Buildings team, a focus on sustainable developments has been a fundamental component of its make-up since its establishment. This focus extends beyond Australia and into the East:

In China, GHD is currently providing concept masterplanning, and detailed planning for the Guangxi Beihai Ecological Tourism Project. An artificial rivers runs through the project site, which was originally a salt plain. The project incorporates accommodation for 23,000 households and natural reserves. The client, CITIC Guo An, has specified that environmentally sustainable principles be considered in all aspects of the design – a pioneering directive in the region. In response, GHD introduced Integrated Urban Water Management and renewable energy solutions into the urban design.

GHD is one of the world’s leading engineering, architecture and environmental consulting companies. Established in 1928, GHD employs more than 6000 people across five continents and serves clients in the global markets of property and buildings, water, energy and resources, environment, and transportation.