Architecture, Building and Planning - Research Publications

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    Exploring the application of the Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor tool for Australian office buildings
    WARREN-MYERS, G ; Schmidt, M ; Crawford, R ; Jensen, C ; Helal, J (PRRES, 2024)
    Urgent transitions to mitigate effects of climate change are needed. Policies and reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions associated with the built environment are emerging. Meeting these targets will be essential to ensure built assets are not stranded. Asset ‘stranding’ occurs when a building no longer meets emissions targets and, as a result, may not be allowed to be occupied or rented, resulting in implications for asset income and occupancy. The Carbon Risk Real Estate Monitor (CRREM) tool was developed in Europe to enable emissions analysis of assets and portfolios to reduce the risk of stranding. CRREM is regarded as one of the most valuable tools for asset management and valuations in Europe and UK, however, in Australia it has only recently been adapted for local conditions. This research provides key insights into the effective use of CRREM for Australian built assets.
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    The lIfe cycle performance of Monomur in Australian residential construction
    Simcock, N ; Crawford, RH ; Jensen, CA (Green Building Council Spain, 2014)
    Brick veneer is the most dominant construction type in Australia; however it is not necessarily the most advantageous for the climate. Mass wall types, where massing is evident on the interior of the building, can help to achieve greater thermal performance. Monomur thermal blocks are a thermal mass system, based on single leaf construction. They are resistant to compression, transfer of heat, and are made from natural clay. Monomur has shown to benefit construction in Europe, most predominantly France, where the push for low energy buildings is high on the national agenda. This study aimed to determine the life cycle energy performance of the use of the monomur system in Australian residential construction. A life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) was used to quantify and compare the life cycle energy performance of two case study houses, one built from monomur and one from brick veneer. It was shown that there is minimal difference in the performance of these two construction approaches, paving the way for the potential use of monomur in the Australian context.
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    Template schools: Measuring indoor environmental quality
    Crawford, RH ; Jensen, CA ; Chan, TK ; Hes, D ; Aye, L (The University of Sydney, 2011)
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    Does current policy on building energy efficiency reduce a building’s life cycle energy demand?
    Crawford, RH ; Bartak, E ; Stephan, A ; Jensen, CA ; Crawford, RH ; Stephan, A (The Architectural Science Association and The University of Melbourne, 2015)
    Building energy efficiency regulations often focus solely on thermal energy demands. Increasing the thermal performance of the building envelope through additional insulation and efficient windows is the typical approach to increasing building thermal energy efficiency. This can result in a significant increase in embodied energy which is currently not considered in building energy regulations. A case study house in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia is used to investigate the life cycle primary energy repercussions of increasing building energy efficiency levels over 50 years. Embodied and operational energy are quantified using the comprehensive hybrid approach and a dynamic software tool, respectively. Energy efficiency is improved by material or design changes as well as a combination of both. Results show that while increasing the envelope thermal energy performance yields thermal operational energy savings, these can be offset by the additional embodied energy required for additional insulation materials and more efficient windows. The point at which increasing the thermal performance of the envelope does not yield life cycle energy benefits is just above current minimum energy efficiency standards in Australia. In order to reduce a building’s life cycle energy demand, a more comprehensive approach that includes embodied energy and emphasises design changes is needed.