Index
Green building and design 2010 conference wrap up
Green Building and Design 2010 conference inspires delegates
‘Greening the Existing Building Stock’ – with the passing of changes to the Local Government Law to accommodate the financing system of the City of Melbourne’s 1200 Buildings Program on the day prior to the event, the theme of this year’s Green Building and Design conference could not have been more current. Minister Jennings (Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Minister of Innovation, Victorian Government) and The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, City of Melbourne, proudly outlined the significance of this legislation for the future of existing buildings in Melbourne and beyond. The Lord Mayor confidently announced that there was no building too difficult to retrofit - a fact that was aptly proven by the program of the two day event.
For the eighth time, the Centre for Design in collaboration with the RMIT School of Property, Construction and Project Management, hosted this multi-disciplinary conference with the aim to provide members of the various professions and students in the built environment with an overview of current policies, research and trends in the industry, to inspire them by showcasing best practice projects and to offer them an opportunity to network. The Centre had compiled a comprehensive program with 26 invited speakers and a choice of nine site visits. The broad range of topics and case studies was enjoyed by about 180 delegates from industry, academia and government.
Alan Pears AM (Sustainable Solutions, RMIT) kicked off the event by pointing out that in future the objectives in renovation projects would go beyond the satisfaction of personal preferences to include social aspects and the effects of climate change. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and water use in buildings certainly played a significant role in the presented programs, research papers and projects. Yet, the choice of building materials and the role of occupants in the design process, facility management and occupancy of the buildings were also recognised and practical advice on how to achieve long-lasting change was given.
Highlights of the two day program included the panel discussion, in which the boundaries of assessing buildings were explored in an entertaining, yet enlightening, manner. And, as in previous years, the site visits gave the delegates an exclusive opportunity to look behind the facades of outstanding examples of sustainable building projects.
The online participation mode proved very successful once again. Delegates from various parts of Australia and overseas joined the event online and even ‘chatted’ during the presentations. A webinar attendee testified: “… I was a little sceptical of the quality going in. However, the experience was powerful with none of the technical dramas I had expected. The whole experience was a delight and I hope to attend more.”
Overall the audience was inspired and Minister Jennings’ call for action did certainly not go unheard. Without doubt, when the delegates of the conference set out to transform the existing built environment, Tone Wheeler will see his dream of ‘the green karma running over the brown dogma’ come true.