As the world shifts to a low-carbon future, Australia's whole-of-economy plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 does not include much of a plan for the construction industry.
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This is a surprise because the construction industry contributes about one-third of all greenhouse gases worldwide.
The harvesting of raw materials, manufacture of building materials, transportation of materials, construction process, and greenhouse gases released from construction waste all create environmental impacts in construction.
This is all before people move into a building and start producing more greenhouse gases and causing other environmental impacts.
But the effect of construction on climate does not have to be all bad.
Many individuals and organisations already design and build responsibly for the natural environment and human wellbeing.
These buildings have better environmental credentials and are also valued more highly, give a positive reputation for the owner, and occupants report better health, both mental and physical.
The University of Newcastle is a local example of an organisation making a serious shift towards an environmentally sustainable, zero-carbon building future.
Already ahead of the Australian Government, the university has a 2025 target for carbon neutrality for its Central Coast and Newcastle campuses.
On the way to this target, many milestones have already been met, including all electricity used on campus now coming from 100 per cent renewable sources.
A detailed path to low-carbon construction on campus can be found in the University of Newcastle's Environmental Sustainability Plan 2019-2025, which includes using the Green Star system to guide building design.
Green Star is a nationally recognised tool that encourages and rates the environmental sustainability of buildings, awarding points for ecology, emissions, innovation, management, indoor environmental quality, energy, water, transport and materials.
The university's plan includes a minimum 5-star Green Star rating (Australian Excellence result) for new buildings, such as NUspace, on the corner of Auckland and King streets, which is a 5-star building.
By 2025, all new campus buildings will be 6-star (World-leadership result).
To reduce the extreme climate impacts that we are already experiencing, targets that were recently set at COP26 will need to be exceeded and many forward-thinking individuals and organisations are showing leadership by pushing past set targets.
The University of Newcastle is not stopping at its own sustainability targets, being committed to look beyond 6-star Green Star design for campus buildings.
The university is exploring approaches to campus building that include the world's most sustainable building standard, known as the Living Building Challenge.
The Challenge is the world's most environmental and socially sustainable building certification, which requires a carbon "positive" footprint, among other environmentally sustainable and socially equitable features.
Including the same points that Green Star does, the Living Building Challenge also asks for stronger commitment to get the points and also considers equity, local resources, healthy buildings and connection to place.
Already the Challenge has been transformative for the university, project teams and industry partners.
As well as exploring the Challenge for future on-campus projects, the university is partnering in projects as living laboratories that provide research, teaching and engagement opportunities.
The university's College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, and the College of Engineering, Science and Environment are bringing expertise to a Living Building Challenge project in Taree, which started in August.
The university's involvement in Living Building Challenge projects has identified ways that construction processes are adapting to a sustainable future.
These buildings have human health and resilience as part of their design, making buildings safer and providing a significantly cheaper option in the long run.
New ways of designing and constructing are growing, including involving team members earlier in an "integrated design".
The approach to cost estimating is also shifting by looking at life-cycle costings across the board.
Risk assessments are changing, with resilience, environmental concerns, and future human health risk increasing in value.
Building environmentally and ethically responsible campuses brings international recognition for the university as a leader in sustainability and equity.
These beacon projects show what's possible and provide real examples for students studying architecture, construction management, disaster management, environmental engineering and health.
University students know how important it is to learn to build for the future, as it is their future.
Dr Josephine Vaughan is a lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Architecture and Built Environment
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