Sustainable building practices are one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of sustainability. 

The UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) have estimated that buildings are responsible for as much as one third of total greenhouse emissions globally. Although there have been some top-down approaches from policy makers to address this, there is always more that can be done.

We have got together with the Australian Institute of Architects to bring together a panel of specialists in the field of sustainable design and construction will discuss positive and practical solutions which you can implement in your home, as well as answering your questions on the day.Anyone looking at building or renovating is urged to submit their design questions to [email protected] by 10th October. Your questions will be answered on the day.

A variety of topics will be covered including: insulation, thermal mass and glazing; embodied energy; passive and active solar heating; and site selection.

Our sponsors Apricus will also discuss the benefits of solar hot water heating. Water heating is currently the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from an average Australian home.

Panelists:

• Embodied Energy, Dr Phil McLeod
• Building Fabric and Construction, Dr Mark Dewsbury Lecturer, UTAS
• Solar Heating Systems and Case Studies, Detlev Geard – Architect
• Apricus Solar Hot Wate, Dan Le Fevre
• Site selection, Hugh Maguire, Archiect at Maguire Architects