Sustainable design and building conversion

Craig Ashley Langston

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Good architecture lies in the care with which buildings are designed to provide long‐term benefits to the society. This chapter evaluates good architecture in the context of durability, adaptability and sustainability. It is proposed that award‐winning buildings, as judged by experts from the architectural community, should demonstrate at least four stars in each of the long life, loose fit and low energy criteria. The chapter presents a case study on commercial buildings in Melbourne which shows superior durability, adaptability and sustainability performance suggesting that good architecture may lead to lower life‐cycle costing (LCC), albeit with potentially higher capital costs. It also presents a framework for evaluation of urban renewal projects. The ‘big picture’ approach to the evaluation of urban renewal projects is advocated over past bias towards economic feasibility and techniques, such as LCC, that give a practical yet myopic view of what represents good design within very narrow system boundaries.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBuilding Urban Resilience through Change of Use
EditorsSara Wilkinson, Hilde Remøy
PublisherWiley-Blackwell
Chapter5
Pages83-104
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9781119231455
ISBN (Print)9781119231424
Publication statusPublished - 16 Feb 2018

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