Building and construction industry
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has a focus on the building and construction industry as a key way of promoting sustainability in Australian industry. The Department's work with the building and construction industry employs three essential instruments; providing information; providing education and training; and providing tools.
Developing a sound mix of these instruments is a goal of the Department as it endeavours to work in partnership with the industry to achieve sustainable development.
Building Code of Australia
- Sustainability Measures - The Department continues to work with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) to investigate and develop sustainability measures for the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
- Minimum Energy Performance Standards - valuable work has already been undertaken by the Australia Greenhouse Office and the ABCB to incorporate energy efficiency standards into the Code. More information about Minimum Energy Performance Standards.
- Scoping Studies - investigate the range of possible national options for improving the water efficiency of buildings and the environmental sustainability of building materials.
National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)
NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures an existing building's overall environmental performance during operation using a set of key impact categories. The system is intended as a voluntary tool that will provide information on the sustainability of our existing building stock and promote an improvement in the environmental performance of Australian buildings.
NABERS is a national initiative managed by the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. NABERS was developed in consultation with industry and other stakeholders, by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage.
More information: www.nabers.com.au
Other partnerships
WasteWise Construction Program
WasteWise was a partnership between the Australian Government and major companies / associations from the building and construction industry who had volunteered their involvement. The program was designed to reduce the amount of construction waste going to landfill - thereby minimising harmful impacts to the environment and also saving money by reducing waste-related costs.
More information about WasteWise
Guide to the Use of Recycled Concrete and Masonry Material
In 2002, the Department of the Environment and Heritage - in partnership with CSIRO, the Inner Sydney Waste Board, the South Australian EPA, and EcoRecycle Victoria - developed a national Guide for the use of recycled concrete and masonry materials in non-structural applications. The Guide aims to divert concrete and masonry waste from landfill into useful new applications. More about the Guide.
The Guide is available through Standards Australia as HB155-2002.
Greening the Building Life Cycle
Completed in 2001, the Greening the Building Life Cycle project aimed to improve the environmental performance of the building and construction sector, by promoting LCA as a tool to assess the environmental impacts of building materials and building systems in Australia.
Project consortium led by the Centre for Design at RMIT - Commissioned by Environment Australia.
More information: buildlca.rmit.edu.au
Housing Industry Association (HIA) Partnership Advancing the Housing Environment (PATHE) / GreenSmart Program
In 1998, the Department's three-year partnership agreement with the HIA, called PATHE, aimed to develop, demonstrate and promote technologies, design principles and practices that improve environmental resource management in the housing industry.
The PATHE program gave rise to the GreenSmart initiative, including builder training and accreditation, GreenSmart Villages, GreenSmart Awards and a series of 'how to' guides on energy efficiency, insulation, waste minimalisation and stormwater.
More information: www.greensmart.com.au.
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