Working together with Common Capital, and WT Partnership, WSP Developed the Planning for Net Zero Energy Buildings technical project report for the City of Sydney in 2019-2021. The report investigates how the city and other Greater Sydney councils can improve energy efficiency, incorporate on-site and off-site renewable energy, and plan a Net Zero energy future for the City of Sydney.
Now, three years later, Sydney is leading the country toward a more sustainable built environment, with recent changes to performance standards for commercial buildings in the city of Sydney.
New office buildings, hotels, shopping centres and other commercial real estate will be required to comply with minimum energy ratings, beginning in January 2023, and target Net Zero energy usage from 2026. Existing structures will also be required to improve efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint under the new measures. According to the City of Sydney Council, the changes are expected to save more than $1.3 billion on energy bills for investors, businesses, and occupants from 2023-2040.
“It’s brilliant to see these insights turned into actions,” says Katie Fallowfield, WSP’s Director of Sustainability.
“Sustainability has historically been applied in a way that facilitates outcomes that are, less bad. With these new controls, it will provide the City and Greater Sydney a clear pathway and scope for us to work alongside developers to meet ambitious but achievable net zero goals.
“There is growing alignment between developer’s goals for delivering sustainable buildings and the Net Zero targets that they have set, and the guidelines and standards now endorsed by The City of Sydney Council will facilitate that.”
Toward a Net Zero Sydney
WSP has committed to halving the carbon footprint of our designs and advice by 2030, and is working across industries to do so. If the City of Sydney Council wants to achieve their ambitious target of Net Zero by 2035, they will have to do the same.
We can aim for buildings to become electrified and more efficient, but it’s also important to consider how people might travel there and how they will source the energy they use. It requires everyone to think and act more holistically. For Sydney, there’s no denying that property is a key piece of the puzzle. According to Sydney Mayor, Clover Moore, office space, hotels and apartment buildings contributed 68 per cent of total emissions in the city.
While the City of Sydney’s new measures focus on commercial buildings, residential building codes will also need consideration. A report by WSP For Waverley Council titled Future Proofing Residential Development to Climate Change, published in 2021, found that all dwelling types tested failed the current BASIX Thermal Comfort requirements for cooling in 2030 and 2070, highlighting a need to not just increase code requirements, but also start to design for future climates to improve resilience to the conditions we will be experiencing more frequently.
Recent updates to the National Construction Code will have a positive impact on the energy efficiency of new residential buildings, which is a step in the right direction. But does not impose the Net Zero outcomes required by the City of Sydney for other building types.
The challenge now is to envisage how similar standards will be adopted around Australia so that these requirements would become standard practice across the industry.
Download the 'Planning for Net Zero Energy Buildings report' here.
Read more about WSP’s Sustainability team
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