Better with less

The built environment is responsible for 39% of global CO2 emissions. The property industry has a key role to play if we are to decarbonise the economy in the coming decade. We must do better, and the starting point is to use less space.

We need to adopt more regenerative design principles and sustainable behaviours. And we must hold building projects accountable for the change we need by including life cycle costing, whole life carbon modelling and post occupancy evaluation in every project.

I support a legally binding target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across Australian by 2050. Along with more than 1,000 other registered architects I’m a member of  Architects Declare  in Australia. This professional network is committed to the transformation of the built environment. We need to think about buildings, cities and infrastructures as components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system. Critically in Australia, we need to learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have long espoused the cultural, social, economic and environmental benefits embedded in the holistic relationship of Caring for Country.