For organisations that have a high carbon footprint one of the most effective ways they can reduce their carbon debt is by making their infrastructure carbon neutral. There’s major role for architects and designers in showing how that’s done.
In June this year we were invited to co-present a webinar with architect Alastair Flynn from Woods Bagot, designers of the award-winning UTAS Forestry Building Project, hosted by the Hunter Valley Regional Architecture Association in the lead up up to their VITAL: Questions of Resilience Conference held in Dungog.
During the pre-webinar set-up, Peter Salhani from RAA and Alastair brought my attention to the fairly recently published Reduction Roadmap for the Australian Construction Industry which we’ve posted about separately. A sobering reality check, it explains the size of the challenge we face in Australia.
It’s been a real privilege to co-present with Alastair a number of times this year, because apart from designing a world class building, he’s made it his business to be really informed about emissions reduction. As he put it, it was what the client UTAS demanded.
We worked with Woods Bagot from the outset of the project, firstly through a workshop for their design team and AHM supplied the materials for the project in partnership with X-Hemp in Tasmania. There’s no doubt this project would not have come about without a local hemp processor, because UTAS’s goal was to construct an educational build. To put a model out there not only for the Tasmanian community, but to the global community. The message – apart from the creative reuse of materials, using Bio-based materials is the best option available to designers who want to have an impact on climate change.
This international award-winning project is the largest commercial use of hempcrete to date in Australia. It is a stunning project in every regard, not least because of the beautiful off-form hemp installation on 28 teaching, learning and office spaces undertaken by Shane Hannan and Tully from Hannan Build which is complemented by use of Tassie timbers.
In early July we presented a webinar on developments in the Australian hemp construction. Hosted by the WA chapter of Design Matters, a national organisation representing the largest community of Building Designers and Energy Efficiency Assessors in Australia, we were invited to update designers about commercial builds with AHM materials, our fire certifications and work we’re involved in with Standards AU. Both webinars were well attended.
We’re also very grateful to Dick Clarke from Envirotecture, Tracy Graham from Connected Design and Nick Sowden from Sowden Buildlng Solutions who shared their experience in designing and building with hemp to a packed audience at Sydney Build in May.
For those interested in understanding more about the carbon story, our next Newsletter will feature an article from experienced carbon accountant and lead trainer for Carbon Trading International Winton Evers from Ecoprofit, who is developing a traceability platform for calculating the ‘actual’ emissions of Australian Hemp production and supply. This platform will form a sound basis for eventual recognition of the carbon stored in hemp buildings.