Construction Ecology Report: Sustainable Design for Taree Facility

This report examines sustainable design principles for a new facility in Taree, Australia, focusing on the Green Star Rating Tool. It explores the importance of decision-making in construction and the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. The report details the Green Star Rating system, its benefits, and compares the proposed design with The Ponds Shopping Centre, a precedent for sustainable practices. Key areas of focus include energy, with a strong recommendation for solar power systems, and water, advocating for wastewater recycling to meet sustainability goals. The report also discusses the potential of renewable energy sources, water usage in Australia, and the implications of sustainable practices for Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goals 6, 7, and 11. The conclusion emphasizes the feasibility and benefits of integrating solar energy and wastewater recycling to achieve green building standards and reduce environmental impact.

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CONSTRUCTION ECOLOGY
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Executive summary
In this era of sustainable existence, decision-making should be regarded as a significant aspect in
the design of structures and public facilities. This task explores sustainable design requirements
of a new facility to be erected within in Taree, Australia. The tool used as a guide is the Green
Star Rating Tool, which stipulates the various actions that should be taken to achieve the
appropriate design. From the recommended items, a solar power system should be adopted to
meet the sustainable energy requirements, as well as recycling of wastewater aimed at meeting
the water requirements. The paper delves deep into the research by doing a reflexive comparison
with the design of The Pond Shopping Centre, which has integrated sustainable design aspects.

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Introduction
One significant aspect while planning on the development of a facility or a structure in the urban
areas, which have an effect on a great population, is decision making. Decision-making is key,
and every step taken in the design of any activity must be well thought. Contemporarily, the
construction of structures have been influenced by one significant aspect; sustainability.
Sustainability is broad, and in simple terms refers to the meeting of the current need without
jeopardizing the needs for the future generation (Yılmaz and Bakı, 2015). It comprises of three
major pillars; environmental, economic as well as social aspects.
There are two-certification system in Australia; the living building challenge and the green star
rating tools. The adopted approach will be based on the green star rating tool to advise on the
strategies to reduce the environmental impact of a proposed facility center in Taree, New South
Wales.
The Living Building Challenge- in this certification technique, a building has to attain twenty
different requirements inclusion of net-zero water usage and net-positive energy (Challenge et
al., 2017). The diagram below demonstrates the approach;

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Fig. 1: Illustration of Living Building Challenge
Green Star rating tool
In this system, the sustainability aspects of the building are addressed at all stages of the project
life cycle (Xi et al., 2013). It thus implies that ratings can be achieved at the planning phase,
construction phase or operational phase. The rating is done with respect to various environmental
impact categories in addition to the promotion of leadership in environmentally sustainable
design and construction while incorporating innovation, cost, and health productivity in
sustainable building practices. The diagram below demonstrates the green star rating approach.
Fig. 2: Green Rating System
Reasons for a green star rating
 Enhances the design process
 Provides economic benefits by offering efficient, durable and resilient project.
 Reduces risk through strict focus attention on the project goals, means and methods.
 Adds a competitive advantage (Gandhi and Jupp, 2014)
 Increases accountability through linking sustainability policy to planning and process.
 Improves quality of life
 Offers global recognition

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Precedence: The Ponds Shopping Centre
Fig. 3: The ponds shopping centre (https://new.gbca.org.au/showcase/building/ponds-shopping-
centre/)
Fig. 4: The ponds shopping Centre (https://new.gbca.org.au/showcase/building/ponds-shopping-
centre/)
The Ponds Shopping Center is located in Sydney’s North West and has a 6-star green rating as
per the retail centre design V1 in 2015. The designers; Frasers property Australia believes that

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retail centres offer the public an opportunity to understand green buildings as well as reduce the
environmental impact. The design has adopted the inclusion of green features such as daylighting
in shops, use of a special tenancy fit-out guide aimed at educating residents on waste reduction,
sub-metering of water and electricity, use of solar as a means of energy, as well as the collection
of rainwater to cater for expenses on water usage (Kamp, 2018).
Energy
Primary Energy
Primary energy is the conventional energy, which is obtained from the available fossil sources of
energy. Most of the energy is lost or wasted because of poor handling of the HVAC system.
Despite it being unsustainable, efforts can be put to take care of the increased energy costs,
supposing it is integrated with renewable technologies. These actions can as well help achieve
the points using the green star rating system, and they include; (Kim, 2017)
 Conducting an energy audit,
 Preventative maintenance schedule through ensuring the cooling and heating systems are
operating at peak efficiency.
 Prompt repair of devices
 Installation of smart technology as well as programmable thermostats (Kim., 2017)
 Use of variable refrigerant flow systems
 Incorporating energy-saving structural changes
 Public awareness of energy conservation measures
4.2 Renewable Energy
To achieve the ratings in the aspect of renewable energy; the design should aim at a carbon
positive roadmap; which promotes a carbon zero future for the whole facility through the

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installation of smart technologies as well as harnessing of renewable energy. For instance, there
are majorly three forms of renewable energy, which can be easily adopted as long as the
conditions allow. These energy sources include wind energy, solar energy as well as hydro-
energy. However, with respect to this facility, the installation of solar power modules will be
most appropriate and efficient (Twidell and Weir, 2015).
The solar modules will be able to attract energy from the sun and then convert it to electrical
energy, which is then converted into a form, which can be utilized by the various ac equipment’s.
In line with the solar energy, the design of the facilities should be such that they allow for an
increased amount of sunlight to penetrate through and hence minimizing the possibility of the
electrical energy from the solar to be used constantly. The ratings as well can be achieved
through the building itself.
Moreover, wind energy can be harnessed, and this works more efficiently either areas which are
located in the mountainous regions or those with high wind speeds. The maximum amount of
energy can be harnessed from the turbines, which is then converted into electrical energy to
power the facilities.
Besides, tidal waves from ocean tides also can be used to generate energy which is then
converted to electrical energy used to power the facility. These steps when applied promotes the
attaining of the green star ratings.
Finally, yet importantly, efficient handling of waste should be practised. Poor management of
wastes and disposal contribute to a great deal into environmental pollution. However, there are
smart technologies, which utilize waste materials to generate energy. Adoption of such
techniques within the facility assists not only in managing the waste but also in the production of
clean energy for use. The above steps when taken will earn the green star rating.

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However, the most feasible and practical selection is solar energy. There are five major factors,
which promotes the adoption of solar energy in the facility site, including;
 The potential of solar energy in Australia- So far, it has been established that there is a
great energy potential in terms of solar energy (Yusaf et al., 2011). The diagram below
depicts the potential of solar energy in Australia
Fig. 5: The potential of solar energy in Australia
The figure above shows that Australia has the highest solar radiation per square meter of any
continent. In addition, there are excellent solar resources in regards to solar exposure and
landmass. These factors will promote the availability as well as the maximum harnessing of
energy, with the solar module approach.

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 Potential for rooftop solar - The table below demonstrates the potential for rooftop solar
by type. This factor favours the adoption of solar energy. Overall, the latitude and climate
offer the potential for solar energy production.
Table 1: Potential for rooftop solar in Australia
 Site location. The location of the site is also a factor, which promotes solar energy since it
only, requires the installation of the solar modules and other portable equipment’s. A
factor that is not practical with other approaches.
 Incentives; there are numerous incentives in Australia which promote the installation of
solar modules for the community use facilities and homes. The design of the Taree new
facility can take advantage of this and install a good number of solar systems at a
subsidized cost. Some of the incentives include; solar credits program, and solar flagships
program.
Water

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5.1 Water Usage in Australia
The usage of water in Australia varies depending on the region as well as other factors.
Averagely, the utilization range from 100 to 800 litres in the coastal and dry inland areas
respectively. This implies that currently, the average usage is 900 litres per household or 340
litres per person. Furthermore, an average of 150 litres is consumed daily on workplaces by
commercial activities, industries, as well as community uses including firefighting, gardening,
and system leakage. The diagram below indicates the daily usage (Adapa et al, 2016)
Table 2: Water Consumption in Australia (Adapa et al, 2016)
. There are a number of actions that can be taken to minimize water consumption. These
measures include;
 Water metering to determine the amount and regulate appropriately
 Recycling of wastewater
 Installation of smart devices in water piping systems;

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 Installation of water collectors helps in gathering rainwater which can then be used
within the facility.
 Alternative water sources such as pond and dam water.
5.2 Wastewater as Resource (rainwater, greywater and Blackwater)
Wastewater can be put into good use when properly managed. There are different types of
wastewater, which includes Blackwater from toilets, dishwasher, and the kitchen sink:
Greywater; which is Blackwater without food waste, faces and urine, and yellow water that is
pure urine. The water from these system hosts can be treated, and then recycled, just like in the
ponds shopping Centre (Jonasson and Kandasamy, 2018). Additionally, a simple treatment plant
can be installed within the facility to treat the greywater, Blackwater and yellow water. After
treatment, this water can be utilized in several activities; in other words, recycled. Besides, they
can be utilized in the landscape to irrigate plants which promotes a sustainable environment, just
like in the Ponds Shopping Centre.
The recycling of wastewater is the best option towards achieving the green star rating. The
recycling plant within the facility will ensure that water that has been used can be treated and
then utilized for other purposes. The implication is that the average usage of water in a day will
go down by close to 60% hence promoting the green star rating. The diagram below indicates a
wastewater recycling system (Jonasson and Kandasamy, 2018).

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Fig. 7: Wastewater-Recycling System
Alternatively, rainwater can be harvested and utilized instead of the conventional water from the
city council. As per the drawings, there is the presence of a rainwater tank, which will
significantly help in the collection of water from rain, and that eventually becomes grey and
Blackwater upon use, undergoing the recycling process.
Sustainable Development Goals
6.1 Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. – Sustainable water systems will provide water
continuous flow of water, which is clean and can be utilized at a significantly minimal and
affordable cost. For instance, the recycled water is used in cleaning, gardening washrooms as
well as other utilities without the fear that it will run out. The implication towards the sustainable
development goal 6 will be quite positive.
6.2 Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. –renewable sources of energy do not get depleted.
Currently, most of the machines are power-driven and thus making the cost of energy to be high,
if we take it from a conventional basis. However, solar, wind and tidal energy will act as cheap