An Evaluation of Green Building Rating Schemes for Australian Urbanism

This report evaluates green building rating schemes in Australia, focusing on their role in promoting sustainable urban development. It examines the relationship between buildings and the built environment, highlighting the construction industry's significant energy and water consumption. The Green Building Council of Australia's efforts to encourage green features in building design are assessed using green rating schemes that measure the environmental benefits of these features. The report discusses climate change, energy generation, and greenhouse gas emissions related to the built environment, emphasizing the importance of green urbanism principles such as incorporating green features in urban centers and reducing consumption of building materials. It also explores environmental sustainability parameters like water, energy, and material consumption, ecosystem impacts, and indoor environmental quality, cautioning against green-washing. Furthermore, the analysis covers design, building, and performance ratings, detailing how each contributes to ensuring sustainable building practices and promoting sustainable development in Australia.

Running head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: GREEN URBANISM IN AUSTRALIA
Green Urbanism in Australia:
An Evaluation of Green Building Rating Schemes
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Running Head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- GREEN URBANISM IN AUSTRALIA 2
Introduction
The analyzed journal is accredited to Ms. Jessica L Holz and Dr. Thomas J Sigler of The
University of Queensland, retrieved from http://apo.org.au/system/files/63217/apo-nid63217-
54776.pdf.It was prepared for use during the State of Australian Cities (SOAC) Conference Gold
Coast, Queensland in Australia. It looks at the relationship between buildings the built
environment for sustainability. Buildings have a great impact on the environment and the
construction industry estimated to be consuming over 40% of basic energy and a considerable
amount of available water for consumption.
Q 1 ANSWER
With the much evident environmental problems related to the building and construction industry,
there is need for creating of sustainable cities or towns for the better built or sustainable
environment. In order to meet this objective, the Green Building Council of Australia was
created which has a mandate of encouraging the use of green features in the design and
construction of buildings in the country. The council carries out evaluation of its progress by use
of green building rating schemes which ensure the implementation of proposed required green
features in designs. The green rating schemes also provides methodologies of assessment of the
extent of benefits of the green features incorporated in building designs in relation to the
negative environmental impacts. Generally, there is need to evaluate the roles played by the
green building stakeholders who include the engineers, building professionals like architectures,
builders and town planners and the local community affected by the negative impacts resulting
from developments and construction industry.
Q 2 ANSWER
• Climate Change, Energy generation and greenhouse gas emissions relating to the built environment

Running Head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- GREEN URBANISM IN AUSTRALIA 3
The green urbanization concept involves the incorporation of green features in the design and
construction of human environments in urban centers. This concept has been deployed through
the use of specific policies and the underlying building principles that are aimed at beautification
and smart growth of cities .Green building rating schemes has played a major role in enhancing
sustainable built environments through promotion of the use of green features, leading to
reduced consumption of building materials and reducing the overall effects on energy ,air and
water apart from controlling the uncoordinated urban growths which has led to slow and
undesirable developments in urban areas. The success of green urbanism greatly depends on the
consciousness of individuals on the green environment which may lead to the use of clean
energy sources such as electricity and gas despite the rising cost of such sources. The knowledge
and interest in the green energy consequently leads to the increased investments in the green
building across the country.
Q 3 ANSWER
Various environmental sustainability parameters are always employed by the various green
rating schemes for the evaluation of green-ness of buildings. Such factors include the water,
energy and material consumption, ecosystem and infrastructural impacts not forgetting the
indoor environmental quality. It is important to note that there is need for the use of correct,
available information including correct formulas and calculations during the evaluation so as to
avoid the green-wash which results from exaggerations of environmental performance with an
aim of creating good image. This therefore means that stakeholders greatly rely on the green
rating schemes in the identification of performance of green building in relation to the reduction
of negative environmental impacts. The performance evaluation greatly helps the stakeholders

Running Head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- GREEN URBANISM IN AUSTRALIA 4
such as engineers and planners find the best designs or change the existing ones depending on
the performance results on the build environment in terms of energy and the climatic changes.
Among the utmost priorities in building design presently includes careful planning for various
water sources, either new or existing water sources. Annual per capita consumption across cities
have registered a positive trajectory from base years, alternative water supply options have
become expensive. Additionally, there has been a dramatic surge in sewer and water rates
estimated to between hundred to four hundred percent within a period of less than 10 years. As a
result, it has become imperative that when designing suitable buildings and in consideration to
the environment that proper planning on consumption and conservation of water is well
designed. Three methods in achieving such design would entail;- measures aimed at water
conservation, recycling systems and reuse alternatives for water and lastly, optimization of
systems through more efficient designs of water apparatuses and systems including repair and
detection of leakages if there any. Some of the practical technologies characterizes the
following:-
 Water-proficient pipes apparatuses: low-stream, and sensor sinks, ultra-low-stream toilets
and urinals, etc.
 The water system and arranging measures such as water system control frameworks,
water-proficient booking practices, water-effective water system frameworks, low-stream
sprinkler heads, and Xeriscape
 Water reusing or reuse measures; Gray water and process reusing frameworks), and
 Techniques to decrease water use in Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
frameworks.

Running Head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- GREEN URBANISM IN AUSTRALIA 5
Cost reserve funds are given by the decrease of utility consumable water buys and sewerage
costs. Moreover, many water preservation procedures likewise diminish high temp water as
well as water treatment necessities bringing about cost investment funds from lessened
vitality and compound utilization. A few systems can be financially savvy in light of these
auxiliary reserve funds alone. Diminishing water necessities additionally gives more
noteworthy consistency of utility water and sewer costs, and decreased powerlessness to
utility value instability. Through the decrease of end-utilize water utilize necessities it might
be conceivable to lessen the measurement of funneling frameworks or kill some channeling
runs inside and out, hence diminishing building and development costs.
Q 4 ANSWER
The analysis of the green rating schemes can be done under various groups which include; the
design ratings; building ratings and the performance ratings. The design ratings incorporate
various design features such the reports, drawings and the contract documents in order to
determine the environmental impact levels resulting from the development project
implementation. The reports may include the environmental impact assessment study reports
which shows the various impacts, if any, on the environment and the various mitigation measures
of such impacts. The design ratings also looks at the various present and future land use patterns
in the cities and towns in order to come up with efficient designs for buildings, bearing in mind
that there is also need for good transportation systems in such towns or cities. Building ratings
are intended to determine and ensure that buildings are erected based on the provided and rated
designs. Construction documents such as receipts, quantity records and the used material types
are assessed in order to determine if the design standards are adhered to as stipulated in the
original design documents. This is very important as it helps avoid the uncoordinated building of

Running Head: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT- GREEN URBANISM IN AUSTRALIA 6
structures in cities and towns of Australia which at the end may compromise the green building
initiatives and consequently the sustainable development. Generally, good designs should
incorporate the green features for buildings and allow efficient transportation and waste
movement systems. Specific building designs are also meant for specific zones in cities such as
the industrial and residential areas in order to maintain the human indoor environment
sustainability by restricting the environmental air pollutions.
The performance ratings are based on at least one year of operational data such as on water and
energy bills from the buildings in order to determine their performance. The performance data or
results are very important for stakeholders such as the engineers and planners who may need to
develop designs and buildings for best performance by altering the green features accordingly.
Research findings has shown that there are numerous green features that are preferred and
incorporated in designs by various stakeholders in the building industry which provide the much
needed sustainable development. The green features from the most preferred include;
1. Energy productive building administrations outline
2. Optimal building introduction
3. Optimized building texture (e.g. protection and twofold coating)
4. Ecologically solid building area (i.e. not based over a region of biological
significance)
5. High levels of natural air supply for tenant courtesy
6. Lower epitomized vitality through material choice and dematerialization
7. Effective waste administration amid decimation and development
8. Water proficient fittings and installations
9. Effective tempest water administration
10. Use of reused and recyclable building and fit out materials

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References
Ms.Jessica L Holz and Dr. Thomas J Sigler. (2018). Green Urbanism in Australia: An
Evaluation of Green Building Rating Schemes. Retrieved from
http://apo.org.au/system/files/63217/apo-nid63217-54776.pdf.
The Centre for Investor Education. (2005. The Buildings Sector and Greenhouse: Key Facts,
Sydney.
Green Building Council of Australia. (2018). Green Building Council of Australia. Retrieved
from http://www.gbca.org.au/.
Vijayaraghavan, K. & Raja, F.D. (2014).Design and Development of Green Roof Substrate to
Improve Runoff Water Quality: Plant Growth Experiments and Adsorption. Water Research.
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24981747.