This course will provide fundamental knowledge and hands-on experience for practising sustainability in construction. The aim is teaching the environmental, social and economic impacts of buildings and built environment and demonstrating how sustainable construction design can avoid global warming and resource depletion issues. The contents of this course are designed to provide hands-on experience in analytical thinking and decision making with regards to the application of sustainability in construction projects. This course explains history and drivers of sustainability in construction and review sustainability policies, programs, and incentives in Australia. Principles of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costs (LCC) will be explained, and hands-on experience of evaluating LCA and LCC will be offered in the workshop classes and group assignment. This course also provides an overview of the current green rating systems for buildings and built environment in Australia. Additionally, examples of sustainable construction design, materials and energy resources, as well as case studies of best sustainable practices and future trends of sustainable construction will be demonstrated. A number of alternative strategies available in design, procurement, construction, operation and end-of-life phases to reduce the overall environmental impact of a construction project are discussed. Students are expected to learn how the available strategies, standards and guidelines can be applied to analyse and improve sustainability in practice.
