Last week, we attended the national conference of Building Designers Australia, on the shores of Lake Macquarie, NSW. It was labelled the ECOnomical conference, and there were some really outstanding presentations. I will

Travel broadens the mind – and help makes good architecture They say travel broadens the mind, and it is undeniably true. They also say that a change is as good as a holiday,

Abbott is four times wrong to threaten the clean energy fund Tony Abbott’s stated intention to disband the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and his warning that he would “tear up” any contracts it

Crown’s new casino building (did we vote for another casino?) planned for Barangaroo is a placeless monolith that looks like it could have been been transplanted from Dubai – it reflects nothing of

On September 14, a referendum will be held to determine whether local government should be recognised in the Constitution. Currently it exists at the whim of state governments – did you know that?

If we have the technology (almost) to ‘print’ buildings, can we make them all different, so they respond to the place they are in? A giant 3D printer – squirting concrete from its

A new take on the eco-village idea is on the scene at Kew, just south of Port Macquarie NSW. Like all eco-villages, it looks after its own resources, and makes great use of

Lie back and think of England – or dance naked on the coffee table? Another flood-punctutated fire season is in full swing and all we can do is hope Elvis the skycrane is

BP’s Chief Executive  Bob Dudley has just announced that peak oil is not going to happen any time soon. Worse, he forecasts drilling much more oil than can be safely burnt without triggering

Everything old is new again. We are so often returning to new interpretations of traditional low-tech ideas in our search for a path forwards. Hempcrete is just such a material, and now sits

‘Catastrophe? That’s a bit unsettling – I’ll sit back in my comfy chair of denial thanks.’ Is it any wonder so many people turn their back on climate science, asks Paul Biegler from

Will the increasing frequency of ‘dirty weather’ – extreme weather  events linked to climate change – become the new norm? The picture of a really fat and angry water spout ripping across

We are edging ever nearer to the goal of total renewable power in Australia. The ACT is installing Australia’s largest solar farm (ironically supplied by a Spanish firm!) which will move it closer

How can we know if a demolition or building site is asbestos safe? A “green flag” displaying the safety certificate clearly displayed at the site entrance would remove any doubt. The recently announced

At Envirotecture we have a reputation for being militant anti-air conditioning. This is almost entirely true. But why? There are oh so many reasons. Here I look at the problem of peak demand

Envirotecture is really pleased to have received two awards on Friday 31 August, at the Building Designers Australia NSW Chapter Design Awards. Two separate projects received design awards from two major manufacturers, recognising

Never mind the cynics: “oh it can’t make power after dark” or “what about when the sun’s not shining?” Solar power really is the answer to human race’s long term energy needs. Enough

Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven is possibly the greatest song ever written. Or not, if you are a cynical jaded post-rocker who has heard it more than the usual 100,000 times. I think

As we slide from the wet of a La Niña into what will probably be another El Nino year ahead, the eastern half of the continent will dry out again. Already Sydney has

No Baillieu backflip into stupidity STOP PRESS: PREMIER BAILLIEU DENIES PLANS TO DUMP 6 STAR GREEN RATINGS FOR VICTORIAN HOMES This is an amendment to the previous post, below. “The six-star ratings will

There is a growing problem which has caught most of the design and construction industry with its warm but damp pants down: condensation. Everything is connected to everything else, as the guru once

The design and construction industry was given a preview of proposed upgrades to the BASIX sustainability regulations this week. The changes look good on the whole, and are long overdue, bringing something like

This week’s news contains two seemingly unrelated stories – urban planning and fish stock management – which together actually point to where things go wrong. But that also means we know where to

THE BIGGEST ESTATE – FIRE MADE IT BUT NOW BURNS IT UP Or, if you prefer… BUSHFIRE: A DEMON OF OUR OWN MAKING – APPLYING NEW RESEARCH TO LAND MANAGEMENT AND BUILDING DESIGN

The best option for consumers wanting to solar power their homes may be to totally thumb their noses at the grid, and go it alone, even in the city. The ongoing use of

Australians still have the biggest houses in the world, and NSW has the biggest houses in Australia. That trend may have peaked and is starting to turn downward again, but size is still

…but it’s worth reading. We are often asked about the carbon tax and its expected affects on what we build, and how we build. While there are some unknowns at the fine level

Sick of the shock-jocks and deniers being the source of your ‘information’ on climate change? Want to get your information on climate change first hand? Try these links… GENERAL INTRO: http://www.skepticalscience.com/ – a

Pain avoidance and the dying art of learning …is humanity capable of change before it feels pain? Animals are adept at avoiding pain, but generally only after at least one exposure to the

Once again the solar energy industry has been kicked about the head like a political football. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s retrospective unilateral reduction of the gross feed in tariff for rooftop PV systems