Talking about sustainability, a little bit differently.
In Episode 2 of blueprint, our experts take us down the rabbit hole of sustainability.
We learn the word itself is so hard to define, because the ideology is deeply intertwined. Each expert provides a fresh insight into the buzzword and then provides examples – other than energy ratings – to comprehend its breadth, but also to lay out the challenge we have before us as the climate crisis continues.
Xavier, Anna and Luciana then look to Melbourne’s challenges with water, waste, carbon and energy in the face of our rise to become a liveable megacity.
Xavier Cadorel is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Melbourne in the faculty of Architecture Building and Planning. Xavier’s research and practice focuses on building sustainably and he is a passionate advocate of using wooden structures to lower the environmental footprint of buildings. His research into timber construction has been widely circulated among industry.
Dr Anna Hurlimann is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on issues of environmentally sustainable cities and the sustainable management of water resources. She has been awarded numerous research grants and published widely including for her work on adaption to sea level rise.
Luciana Acquisto is a landscape architect, currently at ASPECT Studios. She has worked on a wide range of sustainability projects such as flood mitigation design and infrastructural adaptive reuse, with a strong passion and knowledge for how the built and natural environment can be holistically integrated.
Chapter 1 asked our experts to break down the sustainability buzzword and the link with climate change.
In Chapter 2 our experts share some interesting stories of sustainability, including the use of bees instead of concrete fences to herd elephants, a recycled water visitor centre in Singapore and how a humble pine tree fits into the circular economy.
Chapter 3 focusing on the sustainability of Melbourne and our challenges with water, waste, energy as our population continues to soar.
In Chapter 4 our experts share how they believe we can actually achieve sustainability, both on government and personal level.
Words by Scott Williams and Raghav Goel for blueprint
