Sustainability Focused CPD Education

The Digital Sustainability Summit is a unique CPD approved program designed to bring Australia's leading Sustainability experts together and lead the conversations towards sustainably designed and built skylines.  Approved by the Australian Institute of Architects Refuel Program, earn 5 formal CPD points when you attend these panel discussions designed to address industry concerns, challenges and trends in sustainable design.


Book your ticket now for just $99 + GST and receive a complimentary ticket to join us later that evening to celebrate the winners in this years Digital Sustainability Awards Gala hosted by Peter Colqhoun.

Discussion Topics

By purchasing a ticket and attending the Sustainability Digital Summit program, you will be eligible for 5 Formal CPD points.

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Water conservation and its relationship to sustainable design

Session starts 8:45 AM

What are the latest water conservation ideas and technologies that need to be adopted in the built environment on a continent where water scarcity is an ever-present crisis? Where should we start with water conservation in Australia?

Are water storage, recycling and desalination the answer? What about water efficient fixtures and appliances, rainwater and greywater reuse? What are the ideas that architects and designers could and should implement into their designs to ensure water is being recycled, reused and ultimately conserved?

At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:
  • Name at least three types of water-saving ideas.
  • List at least 3 ways how water storage influences modern Australian design.
  • Show how water efficient fixtures and appliances, rainwater and greywater reuse can enhance built environment sustainability.
  • What are some designs that can ensure water is being recycled, reused and conserved?

AACA Competency Standards related to this session: Design: Schematic Design Relates to: 4.2 Evaluation of design options against values of physical, environmental and cultural contexts.

Moderator: Tone Wheeler – Environa. Speaker Panel: Dr Steve Cummings - Caroma, Troy Creighton - Stormtech, Natasha Mulcahy - Sekisui House, Dr Elisa Palazzo - UNSW.
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Designing and building for the new bushfire paradigm

Session Starts 10:15 AM
 
What else should we be doing to prevent what we saw in the ‘black summer’ of 2019/2020? Does our entire approach to design and building need an overhaul and where do we need to start? Along with designs, what materials should we be looking at to build the fire-proof structures of the future? When it comes to the bushfires, what can we learn from the First Nations of Australia and can this knowledge help us manage future bushfires and help us reduce the impact of fires across our built environment?
 
At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:
  • Name at least three types of bushfire-resistant design.
  • List at least 3 building materials that can be used for building in bushfire-prone areas.
  • Show how Indigenous design can help with designing bushfire-resistant structures
  • What are some things that Indigenous history and culture can teach us about fires in Australia?


AACA Competency Standards related to this session: 4.2 Evaluation of design options against values of physical, environmental and cultural contexts.

Moderator: Christian Hampson – Yerrabingin  Speaker Panel: Andy Nguyen - ALSPEC, Steve Woolcock - TPS, Kieran Power - WSP, Ian Weir - Ian Weir Architect | QUT, Rod Rose - Eco Logical Australia, Donna Green - Climate Change Research Centre | UNSW, Martin Freney - University of South Australia

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Passive designs, Passive houses and multi-residential builds

Session Starts 11:15 AM

The Australian climate requires that homes be designed or modified to ensure that the occupants remain thermally comfortable with minimal auxiliary heating or cooling in the climate where they are built. So does passive design fit into the eight climate zones in Australia and how is this design managed by the National Construction Code (NCC)? And while the northern European-derived passive house design is not always the best solution for Australia’s climate. Do we need an Australian version of passive house design and what would that look like?

At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:
  • Name at least three types of passive designs used in Australia.
  • List all 8 climate zones in Australia that affect passive design.
  • Show how passive design and passive houses can help with livability and sustainability.
  • What are some things that the NCC covers in terms of multi-residential builds that could be considered as being like passive design?
AACA Competency Standards related to this session: 4.7 Coordination and integration of appropriate environmental systems, including for thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics.

Moderator: Suzanne Toumbourou – ASBEC  Speaker Panel: Chris Barnett - Habitech Systems, Kylie Mills - BluKube Architecture, David Kaunitz - Kaunitz Yeung, David Baggs - Global Greentag, Jean Graham - Winter Architecture, Melissa Herrmann - Fairview Architectural
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Planning for a carbon zero/carbon positive future

Session Starts 1:15 PM

Urban developments around the world are using smart design and new materials to create net-zero energy structures and even carbon positive districts that challenge everything we have learnt about design to date. When it comes to being sustainable, one of the most effective ways to lower a carbon footprint is to reduce or even entirely eliminate a building’s reliance on external fossil-fuel derived energy for power and lighting. How can residential homes and for that matter, precincts reduce their carbon environmental footprint and how have some precinct around the world been designed to be carbon positive and what can we learn and borrow from these designs?

At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:
  • Name at least three developments around the world that are using smart design and new materials to create net-zero energy structures and even carbon positive districts.
  • What are some of the most effective ways to lower a carbon footprint in the built environment?
  • Show how carbon positive is possible in an urban context.
  • What are some of the quickest and easiest ways residential homes and for that matter, precincts reduce their carbon environmental footprint?

AACA Competency Standards related to this session: Relates to: 4.2 Evaluation of design options against values of physical, environmental and cultural contexts.

Moderator: John Gertsakis - Cambium Communications  Speaker Panel: HY William Chan - UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Kathryn Walker - Knauf, Aidan Hill - Autex, Professor Greg Nolan - University of Tasmania | Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood, Judith Schinabeck - GECA, Aidan Mullan – Interface
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How does building automation lead to better building sustainability?

Session Starts 2:45 PM

The future of building design belongs to structures with extensive sensor networks that can control temperature, monitor power and energy, and water consumption, track sustainability performance in real-time, and much more. In fact, automation is key in buildings when we are considering their longevity and the future since sustainable buildings emit less pollution and greenhouse gases, while at the same time have lower operating costs while increasing the value of the assets. They are also able to reduce energy (and water) consumption by optimising the operational efficacy. So how is all this technology changing the way buildings are designed, built and managed and how do we measure its impact on sustainability?

At the end of this panel, attendees will be able to:
  • Name at least three technologies currently used in building automation applications
  • What are some of the most effective ways to leverage technology to help lower carbon emissions?
  • What are some of the ways technology can help reduce energy and water consumption in a building?
  • What are some of the latest technologies we will soon see in the building automation field?

AACA Competency Standards related to this session: 4.7 Coordination and integration of appropriate environmental systems, including for thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics.

Moderator: Branko Miletic - Architecture & Design   Speaker Panel: Nicci Leung - Lifepod Evolution | The Lifepod Project, David Meyer - CEDIA, Amanda Steele - CBRE, Sara Bell - Ample Tech, Ian Richardson - KNX Group, Anthony Adamo – Verosol

Our Ambassadors

Click below to meet just a few of our inspiring ambassadors that will participate in the Summit panel discussions.