“The ultimate sustainable design goal is to create buildings that are comfortable, use no energy, no water, produce no waste in operation or construction – and are made of materials that are derived from fully sustainable sources.”
Sustainable Built Environments (SBE) provides ecologically sustainable design (ESD) and energy efficiency advice for the design and construction industry and government authorities. With a team comprising architects, engineers and environmental scientists, SBE seeks to provide integrated and balanced ESD advice that considers the full range of opportunities available in a project to improve the environmental outcomes.
An integrated multi-disciplined team, SBE’s skills span across architecture, engineering, project management and environmental science, enabling ESD issues to be integrated between disciplines on project teams. The firm also provides sustainability guidelines for government departments and councils.
“The ultimate sustainable design goal is to create buildings that are comfortable, use no energy, no water, produce no waste in operation or construction – and are made of materials that are derived from fully sustainable sources,” says SBE Senior Associate, Jane Toner. “Whilst very difficult to achieve in practice this goal acts as a theoretical lighthouse for the opportunities that should be considered in any project.”
SBE’s knowledge and experience are able to benefit the community and the environment in a range of ways by enabling:
- Sustainable design innovation
- Reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas outputs from building operations
- Reduction of water usage
- Improved run-off water quality
- Enhanced indoor environment quality
- Increased natural ventilation and internal daylight
- Support for alternative energy sources
- Advice on environmentally preferable materials
- Minimisation of construction waste and pollution
- Minimisation of operational waste streams
- ‘Separation at source’ for recyclables
SBE has provided advice on a range of projects within the sporting spectrum including:
- Yamuna Table Tennis Venue Delhi, India
- Siri Fort Squash and Badminton Venue Delhi, India
- Hin Tin Aquatic Centre Hong Kong, China
- Launceston Regional Aquatic Centre Australia
- Cabramatta Leisure Centre Australia
- Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Australia
- Harold Holt Swim Centre Redevelopment Australia
- Leisurelink Australia
- Skilled Stadium Redevelopment Australia
- Dandenong Basketball Stadium Australia
- Kardinia Aquatic Centre Australia
- Ascot Vale Aquatic Centre Australia
- Pelican Park Aquatic Centre Australia
In the lead up to the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games SBE was commissioned to optimise the energy efficiency and indoor environment quality for the Yamuna table tennis venue in Delhi. “Our initial investigation involved figuring out how best to utilise the free resources available,” says Jane. “Resources such as sunshine, water and the heat of the ground. Next we looked at optimising the passive performance of the buildings. We then prepared an ESD study that looked at all the ESD opportunities applicable to the Yamuna Sports Complex project, with a triple bottom line analysis of each of those opportunities. This allowed decisions to be made not just in terms of the economic aspects, but also the environmental and social aspects. Finally SBE completed a performance analysis using the Leadership in Environmentally Efficient Design (LEED) India standard.”
Closer to home, SBE has been involved in the development of a range of aquatic centres including the recently completed Geelong Leisurelink and the Harold Holt Swim Centre redevelopment, both located in Victoria, Australia. The major focus for these projects was water conservation and recycling initiatives.
“By its very nature, an aquatic centre uses large volumes of water,” says Jane. “One of the most wasteful aspects of water use derives from the need to maintain the water quality of the swimming pools through a process known as ‘backwashing’. This involves using water to remove material collected in the pool filters, essentially removing any debris by pushing water through. Usually this water goes to the sewer system and up to five times the volume of water held in the pool can be wasted through this process each year.
So wherever possible, SBE has been introducing backwash water recycling into our aquatic projects. It’s a very expensive piece of equipment but through funding initiatives such as a water grant from the Smart Water Fund we have managed to introduce backwash water recycling into both these aquatic centres.” Currently SBE is involved in a number of key portfolios incorporating education, master planning, eco tourism and existing buildings. As for the future, Jane believes SBE’s forward-looking strategy is to stay ahead of the game.
“SBE pursues sustainable design opportunities in all of our projects. We seek to challenge business-as-usual thinking with practical solutions that can effectively be integrated into building projects.”
Another challenge SBE has set itself is to continue building up the company’s masterplanning and ecotourism work.
"The key to future sustainable development comes from establishing principles right from the start – setting goals and visions early to guide the project towards optimum sustainable outcomes. As a project moves towards completion, opportunities to innovate decrease rapidly and become less cost effective. The earlier we get on board, the better we can guide the building towards integrated sustainable design solutions.”
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre - Australia – Glenn Hester (photographer)
Jane Toner
Senior Associate
Ph: (+61) 3 9923 2345
E: info@sbe.com.au
www.sbe.com.au
