The School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design has demonstrated expertise in the area of low energy housing and sustainability for over twenty years.

Sustainable Urbanism

Photo: Dhaka City, Bangladesh, Rehnuma Parveen

8 The University of Adelaide

The Sustainable Urbanism research cluster incorporates long-standing work from key staff members with research interests in sustainable building practices and technologies, as well as realigning such specific investigations within a broader interrogation of effective sustainability applied specifically to urban conditions. In recognition of global population shifts to urban environments under conditions increasingly governed by internationally influential economic, environmental and social trends, research in this cluster engages with sustainable discourse, practices, techniques and technologies.

The research projects articulate and investigate opportunities for grasping or creating new responses to urban transformations now underway, adapting, speculating and testing how local conditions might be improved, as well as how these local improvements might have wider relevance and potential for improvement elsewhere. There are particular opportunities here to assist communities in the global south, in the greater Asian region and in similar bio-climatic environs.

Research in this cluster encompasses many areas which are all inter-related. Indeed, a key theme of our research is such inter-connectivity between various aspects of urbanism. These areas include, but are not limited to:

> Zero-energy / zero-carbon building designs

> Water sensitive urban design

> Landscape design and plant selection for future climates

> Ethics in the built environment

> Productive landscapes for food security

> Mitigation of the urban heat island effect through appropriate landscape and building design, including utilisation of green roofs and walls

> Sustainable performance assessments, including building energy use, post occupancy evaluation, and environmental and economic assessments of design alternatives

Veronica graduated in architecture from the University of Indonesia in 1987 and practiced for a number of years before enrolling in her Master of Architecture program in 1991, followed by a PhD in 1993, both at Texas A&M University, USA, before her appointment at the University of Adelaide in 1998.

Veronica’s main research interests include thermal/energy simulation of commercial and residential buildings (including her assessment of houses by renowned Australian architect Glenn Murcutt using the rating tool Ener-rate that she developed with colleague Terry Williamson), environmental monitoring, sustainable building design and assessments, and human thermal comfort. She was a Chief Investigator for a number of research projects looking at the actual environmental performance of claimed-to-be sustainable buildings; a Co-Chief Investigator of an ARC-Discovery-funded research project focusing on the relationship between buildings and ethics; and a member of the International Energy Agency Task 28: Solar Sustainable Housing. Her recent research investigates the relationship between urban heat (‘hot spot’) areas in Adelaide CBD and building energy use (with Flinders University), and investigates occupants’ thermal comfort, perception and adaptation to heat waves (with University of South Australia).

Veronica is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Building Performance Simulation and Architectural Science Review. She recently chaired the Executive Scientific Committee of Building Simulation 2011: The 12th International Conference of the International Building Performance Simulation Association held in Sydney, Australia. She is also a member of the Scientific Committee of CLIMA 2013, to be held in Prague, Czech Republic and Building Simulation 2013, to be held in Chambery, France (www.bs2013.fr). She has supervised 15 PhD students, six of whom have successfully completed.

Associate Professor Veronica SoebartoSupervisor

10 The University of Adelaide

Water Urbanism in Dhaka: Intervention Strategies for Reclaiming and Protecting the Water Bodies of an Eco-cityFahmid Ahmed PhD Candidate

Fahmid’s research aims to understand the water-culture of the deltaic city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Water has played a powerful role in shaping the histories, societies and economics of this region. However, with the unprecedented rate of urbanisation the dialogue between water and the city has collapsed. Appropriate urban design policy is the key to achieve a sustainable city and this research aims to provide guidelines for reclaiming and protecting the city’s water bodies as well as to suggest possibilities for an integrated water system. To this end, the study analyses the way rivers, canals and retention basins can fulfil many of the city’s needs, from mobility networks and recreational spaces to water supply for domestic and industrial uses as well as serving as a system for storm water retention and natural drainage. Therefore, this research seeks practical measures to protect Dhaka from further deterioration and reclaim the inherent character of this deltaic city.

Sustainable High-rise Residential Buildings: The Context of Dhaka, BangladeshTahmina Ahsan PhD Candidate

Tahmina is a PhD candidate from Bangladesh. She is taking time out from her role as Assistant Professor at Stamford University Bangladesh where she has been teaching since 2005. Her current research aims to develop a framework for sustainability in high-rise residential buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. At present there are no assessment measures. The purpose of this research is to establish appropriate criteria as well as to identify the indicators that may be used to analyse the sustainability for this building type in context. The outcomes are expected to benefit other cities which face similar problems as Dhaka in terms of their demography and socio-economic background as well as environmental problems and constraints. This research will build on Tahmina’s research carried out for her Master of

Science degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Infrastructure from KTH, The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, for which she was awarded the Master Programme for Key Personnel in Developing Countries (MKP) scholarship from the Swedish Institute (SI).

Thermal Preferences in Dwellings of Alternative Constructions Lyrian Daniel PhD Candidate

Lyrian’s research is motivated by specific interests in thermal comfort, residential building performance simulation and related policy. Throughout her tertiary education, Lyrian has developed an awareness of the necessity of environmental, social and economically sustainable design. This has formed the basis of research projects that have culminated in publications and the receipt of research scholarships. Lyrian’s research is expected to contribute to the understanding of occupants’ expectations, preferences and thermoregulatory behaviour in atypical thermal environments in the context of regulatory pressure to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment.

Earthship Architecture: Thermal Performance and Life Cycle AssessmentMartin Freney PhD Candidate

Martin’s research aims to quantify the environmental impacts of the Earthship, an autonomous housing concept built substantially from waste products such as old car tyres, compared with other forms of housing. In particular, Martin is interested in wall construction, however other areas of interest are the autonomous systems such as greywater treatment and off-grid renewable energy. Martin is using thermal modelling to understand the effects of different wall materials, and other design features such as a conservatory, on the operational energy of the home. The results from the thermal modelling will then be used to conduct a life cycle assessment of each house type giving an impression of the homes’ environmental impacts throughout their whole lifespan.

Green Infrastructure: Adapting to Climate Change Graeme Hopkins Visiting Research Fellow

Graeme Hopkins is a Registered Architect and Registered Landscape Architect with over 30 years of diverse professional experience. He is the Director of Fifth Creek Studio. His particular focus is on developing a sustainable urban environment, including using natural systems and enhancing ecological habitats especially integrating green roofs and living walls within the metropolitan area. Graeme was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2005 to study green roofs and living walls in North America, Japan and Malaysia.

He was a Co-Investigator for the Adelaide Urban Heat Island Project: Characterising the Urban Heat Island Phenomenon over Adelaide, through the Urban Heat Island Study Group, School of the Environment, Flinders University (2010). Fifth Creek Studio leads three projects funded under the South Australian Government’s Building Innovation Fund program: (1) Feasibility Study: Living wall system for multi-storey buildings in the Adelaide climate, (2) Design, installation and monitoring of green roofs, and (3) Prototype hybrid living wall. These green roofs and walls are currently being monitored by School of Chemistry and Physics and our School.

Sustainable Water Management: Learning from Indigenous CommunitiesDr Namrata P. Joshi-Vishwasrao PhD awarded 2011

Namrata’s thesis, Sustainable Water Management: Learning from Indigenous Communities in India focuses on co-management systems, institutional structures and Indigenous knowledge. This study involved comprehensive research on international policies regarding managing water in an ecologically sustainable manner by adopting a co-management approach, engaging Indigenous people and their traditional practices in mainstream water management processes. Namrata’s core research interests are in the areas of sustainability, cultural landscapes, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, community engagement and Indigenous knowledge and practices.

Research Profiles

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Analysing the Environmental Performance of Commercial Office BuildingsVanessa Menadue PhD Candidate

Current research analyses the environmental performance of commercial office buildings given the current rise in market demand for ‘green’ design. The term ‘green building’ is intended to mean a building that is designed, constructed and operated with the specific objectives of efficient use of resources and reducing negative impact on human health providing internal environments which result in high levels of occupant satisfaction and related productivity. However to date, there has been minimal actual building performance data released publicly which verifies these objectives are being met.

The research study involves post occupancy evaluation of a number of commercial office buildings in the Adelaide CBD. The study reviews design, energy and water

consumption data, internal environment monitoring and occupant surveys. The results are being analysed to investigate and identify issues effecting efficiency of building performance and occupant satisfaction. The study will add to the current knowledge on the effect of internal environments on occupants, how these environments effect building energy and water consumption and highlight possible improvements to current policy on the design and construction of commercial office building.

Integrated Design, Eco-Efficient and Socially-Inclusive Infrastructure Dr David Ness Visiting Research Fellow, Supervisor

David pursues innovations that may arise by creatively considering the inter-connections between components of community and infrastructure systems, via collaborative multidisciplinary applied research. This

focuses upon the role of affordable, inclusive, integrated and coordinated infrastructure systems in supporting equitable service provision, pro-poor community development and improved social livelihoods. His conceptual models on ‘doing more with less, with less material use and less cost’ have been published in international arenas. In addition to research on integrated urban and rural systems, he investigates means of keeping resources and products in closed loops through new business approaches such as product-service systems, all seeking to deliver multiple benefits and outputs with fewer resource and other inputs.

David heads ‘Ecological Development Union International’, a not for profit international association incorporated in SA that seeks to integrate environmental improvements with socio-economic development, transferring know-how, technologies and resources from the developed world to emerging economies in Asia/SE Asia. EDUI council includes

The informal settlements in Davao City, Philippines, serve as a case study for Isidoro Malaque III’s PhD thesis titled A Multi-Step Approach to Resettlement for the Urban Poor

A Multi-Step Approach to Resettlement for the Urban PoorIsidoro Malaque III PhD Candidate

The urban poor play an important role in developing economies, but their informal settlements are often viewed negatively. To discover the ingenuity of the urban poor in providing their own shelter, the aim of Isidoro’s research is to explore how the urban poor occupy different housing submarkets, from living in informal settlements to being a settler in the formal housing submarket.

It is hoped that Isidoro’s research will help formulate new types of housing policies and generate feasible urban design approaches that will offer a better fit for developing countries.

Photo: Informal Settlement, Davao City, Philippines, Isidoro Malaque III

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leading academics and researchers from the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, US, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan. He also consults to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific on ‘green growth’ and sustainable infrastructure in developing countries, improving access to shelter, clean water, sanitation, transport and energy, and adapting to climate change. His methodological framework for eco-efficient and sustainable urban development was accepted by the UN as part of its international program on sustainable infrastructure in Asia and Latin America.

Towards Plus-energy Urban Development as an Alternative Way to Reduce Energy Scarcity in Developing CountriesRehnuma Parveen PhD candidate

Rehnuma, an academic and architect from Bangladesh, has a profound interest in sustainable building and urban development in developing countries. In her PhD research she intends to find out the possibilities, opportunities, challenges and ways to initiate and promote plus - energy urban development where buildings are independent from energy plants and can generate energy on their own in the context of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The aim of this research is to search for an alternative and integrated urban and energy development pattern, which is appropriate to the contexts of a developing country.

An Investigation of the ‘Sustainability’ Expectations of the Architecture of School Buildings from Design to OccupancyLinda Pearce PhD Candidate

Linda is a registered architect, with additional qualifications and experience in engineering and business BE(Hons) BArch(Hons) Adel MBA Warw]. She is currently on a practice career break. Her main architectural interest is learning space design. Her research interests include:

> Strategic design decision processes in the context of real world challenges

> Systemic approaches to sustainability and sustainable development

> Stakeholder consultation processes during design

> Building Simulation, Integrated design, Building Information Modelling and new practice technology

> Applying research in architectural practice

Her project investigates the systemic architectural, environmental, economic and social sustainability performance of selected school buildings in the Adelaide metropolitan area in the context of occupant activities, time, money and regulatory constraints.

Urban Microclimate: Designing the Spaces between Buildings Adjunct Associate Professor Terence Williamson Supervisor

Terry has taught, researched and published in areas of energy, thermal performance and sustainability related to the built environment. Terry is the author (or co-author) of over one hundred publications including books, journal articles and conference papers, including the influential book Understanding Sustainable Architecture (Spon Press, 2003) with Antony Radford and Helen Bennetts. This text considers strategies for achieving more sustainable modes of urban design and architecture, where sustainability includes environmental, cultural and economic issues.

Terry’s recent and continuing research has concentrated on two issues. First, data has been collected with the objective of corroborating the operation of the Building Code of Australia’s energy-efficiency provisions, in particular the effectiveness of the NatHERS Star Rating Scheme for dwellings. In 2004 Terry made a major submission to the Productivity Commission’s enquiry into energy-efficiency in the Australian economy. Subsequent papers have also investigated this issue and questioned the efficacy of the scheme.

The second research area concerns the urban micro-climate. In collaboration with Dr Evyatar Erell of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel the urban micro-climate model CAT has been developed and evaluated on the basis of field measurements. The model predicts hourly air temperature in an urban street canyon for extended periods in a variety of weather conditions, on the basis of meteorological time series recorded at an open site exposed to the same meso-scale conditions, taking into account the geometry of the two sites and the thermal properties of their respective surface materials. This model is used to study design implications in relation building energy consumption associated with factors such urban density and street geometry. The findings are published in Urban Microclimate: Designing the Spaces between Buildings (Earthscan, 2011) with Evyatar Erell and David Pearlmutter.

Defining Genius Loci and Qualifying Cultural Landscapes of the Minahasa Ethnic Community, North Sulawesi, IndonesiaCynthia Erlita Virgin Wuisang PhD Candidate

Indonesia has a rich and diverse suite of bio-ecosystems, cultures and ethnic communities across the country. Increasing population growth and development in Indonesia have resulted in the disappearance of the natural landscape as well as the deterioration of distinct ethnic groups. In order to maintain their socio-cultural and environmental systems, the Indonesian government has attempted to protect and conserve the natural environment as well as culture in the national agenda. As each nation and each region has different environmental conditions and characteristics, overcoming this problem requires comprehension of the socio-cultural systems of society and the development of a holistic environmental-conservation strategy to assist the maintenance of ethno-ecological relationships with specific sites.

The aim of this research is to document and analyse the concept of genius loci as it relates to the land occupied by the ethnic groups of The Minahasa on Sulawesi in Indonesia. The research seeks to qualify the contribution of genius loci to better inform landscape and environmental planning systems in the region with the potential of implementation in Indonesia as a whole. The project will demonstrate the important role genius loci can have in shaping the identity of the local context and the region that presently hosts a multi-cultural and multi-religious society whilst seeking to determine the validity of genius loci as a component of cultural landscape systems.

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