Posted 30 April 2014 - 12:00am
Construction industry giant Brookfield Multiplex and leading design and engineering consultancies HASSELL and AECOM have partnered with the Cooperative Research Centre for Low-Carbon Living (CRCLCL) in a three year project to develop buildings that have a positive impact on people’s health, wellbeing and productivity and improve their environmental performance.
The project, called ‘Closing the Loop’, will connect the wealth of evidence that exists for high performance buildings with front end decision makers through better business case analysis, professional education, practical tools and guidelines.
Based at the University of NSW, the CRCLCL is a national $100 million research collaboration comprising over 40 participants including universities, government agencies and companies within the construction industry.
“The Closing the Loop project will allow us to use our current knowledge to have a practical impact on people and the environment,” said Scientia Professor Deo Prasad AO, Chief Executive Officer, CRCLCL.
The research partnership between Brookfield Multiplex, HASSELL, AECOM and the CRCLCL is a powerful example of ‘collaborating to innovate’. All three industry partners are committed to delivering high performance built environments and together, have the capacity to significantly influence the building process from design to delivery and building management.
The project will be undertaken in four interlinked stages. These stages will review existing literature and identify gaps; research business decision making; create case studies; test and trial the findings and their operation in the real world; and finally develop tools and strategies for the industry, including design guides, user manuals, performance measures and assessment tools.
In a nutshell the program will take over 25 years of research currently buried in journals and papers to create tangible practical tools for the design and construction industries.
“Ultimately our focus is on creating long-term change that not only reduces the impact of our environmental footprint but leads to far-reaching and long lasting social and financial benefits to all,” Professor Prasad concluded.
