Introduction
Many of us working in the building and construction sector are well aware of the facts – globally, the building and construction industry accounts for almost 40% of the world’s Co2 emissions, and this has long-lasting effects on biodiversity and our natural habitat.[i]
Australia is the third country to join the global movement initiated in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2019, where architects are taking a stand for urgent action to address climate change. The Australian chapter of Architects Declare is run by a volunteer group of seven architects and built environment professionals – Andre Bonnice, Ranald Boydell, Verity Campbell, Antony DiMase, Caroline Pidcock, Andrew Shurman and Steffen Welsch.
So, what is this global movement, and what are architects signing up for?
The Architects Declare movement seeks to address climate and biodiversity issues by affecting change in design and building construction practices. Inspired by their British counterparts, local architects have created an Australian version of the initiative, which invites like-minded industry professionals to publicly commit to more sustainable design and construction practices and waste reduction measures.
Central to this vision is an intention for architects to work collaboratively with their clients, engineers and contractors to shift mindsets and improve working practices across the industry. Its hoped that making a visible commitment to climate change mitigation will create a groundswell which will influence policymakers.
Included below are excerpts taken from the online declaration made by Architects Declare Australia: – full details are available at https://au.architectsdeclare.com/
“For everyone working in the construction industry, meeting the needs of our society without breaching the earth’s ecological boundaries will demand a paradigm shift in our behaviour. Together with our clients, we will need to commission and design buildings, cities and infrastructures as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system.”
Registered architectural firms who become signatories will seek to:
·Raise awareness of the climate and biodiversity emergencies and the urgent need for action amongst our clients and supply chains.
Advocate for faster change in our industry towards regenerative design practices and a higher Governmental funding priority to support this.
Establish climate and biodiversity mitigation principles as the key measure of our industry’s success: demonstrated through awards, prizes and listings.
Share knowledge and research to that end on an open source basis.
Evaluate all new projects against the aspiration to contribute positively to mitigating climate breakdown and encourage our clients to adopt this approach.
Upgrade existing buildings for extended use as a more carbon efficient alternative to demolition and new build whenever there is a viable choice.
Include life cycle costing, whole life carbon modelling and post occupancy evaluation as part of our basic scope of work, to reduce both embodied and operational resource use.
Adopt more regenerative design principles in our studios, with the aim of designing architecture and urbanism that goes beyond the standard of net zero carbon in use.
Collaborate with engineers, contractors and clients to further reduce construction waste.
Accelerate the shift to low embodied carbon materials in all our work.
Minimise wasteful use of resources in architecture and urban planning, both in quantum and in detail.”
In their commitment to developing sustainable and integrated approaches to the built environment, Architects Declare Australia also acknowledges there may be a lot we can learn from indigenous perspectives on our relationship with the environment. “In Australia, we as architects are aware that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have long espoused the cultural, social, economic and environmental benefits embedded in the holistic relationship of Caring for Country.”
Is Architects Declare the key to meaningful change in the building and construction industry?
ABC Radio National’s Blueprint for Living host, Jonathon Green, lead a very informative discussion on this subject. His interview featured Caroline Pidcock, an architect and spokesperson for Architects Declare Australia, and Elizabeth Farrelly, author, architecture critic, columnist with the Sydney Morning Herald, and former Sydney City councillor.
I encourage you to listen to the full podcast – it’s only 14 minutes long and provides a robust discussion between two professionals who care equally about climate change and the environment but come at this from very different perspectives.
Here are a few key points from the conversation:
Elizabeth Farrelly applauds the initiative but is sceptical about what architects can really change, “architects are not terribly powerful in the industry, as everyone well knows,” and she sees architects as, “the servants of developers or rich people wanting big houses – not two groups [most] sympathetic to the environmental movement…”.
The truth is that architects have been reluctant, which frustrates Elizabeth, “they don’t want to speak out, to hurt the feelings of the person paying the bill.”
Elizabeth wants to see architects stand up to their clients and stand up for their principles.
Caroline states, “we must inspire others not to be overwhelmed by the bad and get them inspired and empowered by the good things. There are good things happening, but they just don’t get the attention of the bigger projects.”
Elizabeth’s point is that, “sadly the big things will make the big difference, and we need to do big things properly”.
There are 16,500 registered architects in Australia, so what is the critical mass needed to push policymakers to make change happen?
According to Caroline, “the theory is that to create a movement you need about 4-5% of any group – if you can change them, you can get the movement going.”
They are aiming to get 1,000 architects engaged. “We need government regulation to make this happen, but we need groundswell to make this happen [first].”
I have to agree with what Elizabeth was implying; we really need to have the building and construction industry engaged, and the developers at the table – like the UK, which now has a Construction Declares initiative.
It’s been my experience consulting with product manufacturers over the last decade that, for the most part, the architectural and design firms have been somewhat ‘missing in action’. They have not been vocal when it comes to specifying sustainable products - unless of course if it’s for a Green Star project.
But this aside, like Elizabeth, I too applaud the Architects Declare initiative and can’t wait to see how this movement takes off!
WATCH THIS SPACE…
Founding signatories to Architects Declare Australia include:
ARM Architecture, Alec Tzannes, Bates Smart, Breathe Architecture, Brit Andresen, BVN, Circa Morris-Nunn, Clare Design, Design 5, dwp | design worldwide partnership, FJMT, TheFulcrum.Agency, Glenn Murcutt, Greenaway Architects, Gregory Burgess Architects, Hassell, Iredale Pedersen Hook, Jackson Clements Burrows (JCB), John Wardle Architects, Ken Maher, Kerstin Thompson Architects, Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc., Liminal Studio, Partners Hill, Peter Stutchbury, Rick Leplastrier, Six Degrees, Taylor and Hinds Architects, TKD Architects, Troppo, and Woods Bagot.
Website links to additional information on Architects Declare Australia
Architects Declare Australia – including full list of signatories
A very interesting article from Architectureau – “Australian architects join global movement to declare climate emergency”
ABC Radio National, Blueprint for living, Hosted by Jonathon Green, “Architects declare a climate emergency”
FOOTNOTE
[i] Architects Declare Australia, “Australian Architects Declare Climate & Biodiversity Emergency”, https://au.architectsdeclare.com/
