official awards partner - architecture & design
TRANSCRIPT
Sustainability eBook 2020Proudly partnered by Autex
OFFICIAL AWARDS PARTNER
NATASHA MULCAHY
SUSTAINABILITY & ENGAGEMENT
MANAGER, SEKISUI HOUSE AUST.
NICCI LEUNG
FOUNDER, FACILITATOR & DESIGN
LEAD, THE LIFEPOD PROJECT
JEFA GREENAWAY
DIRECTOR, RAIA,
GREENAWAY ARCHITECTS
JOHN GERTSAKIS
SUSTAINABILITY & ADVOCACY,
CAMBIUM COMMUNITCATIONS
JEAN GRAHAM
FOUNDER,
WINTER ARCHITECTURE
CHRISTIAN HAMPSON
CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR,
YERRABINGING
For the past 14 years, Architecture & Design magazine has run the Sustainability Awards – Australia’s oldest national sustainability awards program dedicated to rewarding excellence in sustainability across our built environment.
Along with that, we have also organised the Sustainability Summit, a full-day, CPD-point earning educational event that has now become one of the most sought-after annual CPD programs in the industry.
So while this year’s Awards and Summit programs did have their challenges due to the issues we are all experiencing in 2020, the fact remains, that for the first time ever, we managed to provide a digital-only event that was both amazing and highly-popular and one that was also unparalleled anywhere in the country.
On that point, for next year, the planning process has already started and what I can tell you, that as an organisation, once again, we will be forging ahead with an industry-leading
and best-in-class industry event.So on that note, I’d like to personally thank you for your involvement and interest in our Sustainability Awards program, one that will always be dedicated to promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness in all its forms across Australia’s diverse and vibrant built industry.
BRANKO MILETIC
EDITOR, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
The 2020 Sustainability Digital Awards Gala
HY WILLIAM CHAN
UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SOLUTIONS NETWORK
The Awards Ambassadors
Visit us atsustainablebuildingawards.com.au
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DICK CLARKE
DIRECTOR & BUILDING DESIGNER,
ENVIROTECTURE
MAHALATH HALPERIN
DIRECTOR, MAHALATH
HALPERIN ARCHITECTS
SANDRA FURTADO
M.ARCH, M.BE (SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT)
NERMINE ZAHRAN
SENIOR ARCHITECT &
SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER,
KOICHI TAKADA ARCHITECTS
SUZANNE TOUMBOUROU
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASBEC
MICHAEL FAINE
REGISTERED ARCHITECT,
FAINE GROUP ARCHTECTS
The Awards Jury
JEREMY SPENCER
DIRECTOR & BUILDER,
POSITIVE FOOTPRINTS
Visit us atsustainablebuildingawards.com.au
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Here, Global Technical and Sustainability Manager, Aidan Hill, reveals how prioritising sustainable business practices, throughout three family generations, has secured Autex’s position as leader in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
A&D: Tell me a bit about your previous experience and your current role at Autex.
AH: Originally, my plan was to work in environmental conservation. I did a Master of Science then majored in environmental science, and my first job involved monitoring air and water quality, which followed into working with businesses to reduce their trade waste. It was all hands-on field work – which was very interesting but it also made me understand the challenges that a lot of businesses are faced with, when trying to become more sustainable. I moved to the UK and started working as a sustainability consultant, helping businesses with understanding their carbon emissions and wider environmental impacts. My current role at Autex involves helping the company to reduce its impact on the environment, working with our manufacturing and operations teams across the world towards achieving more sustainable outcomes.
A&D: Why is sustainability important for Autex?
AH: Sustainability is a core value for Autex – and has been throughout most of Autex’s history. Every decision – from how our products are made to how our design and manufacturing teams communicate – is made with sustainability in mind. It’s a constant feedback loop, where my team and I reach out to key stakeholders for input on how we can do things better, which is then fed back into our business and design processes. Autex is a family business, so sustainability is a value that has been passed down through three generations – you can see that from a lot of our sustainable initiatives, which have been in place from the outset.
A&D: How is your industry changing and what role does sustainability play?
AH: The biggest challenge Autex has experienced in recent years is increased competition. The market has been flooded with similar products – but it’s also given us an opportunity to showcase what we do differently, our sustainability practices and how our products are superior. Autex was launched more than 50 years ago, so
it was a very different business back then – but even so, we have always prioritised sustainable practices, and that’s given us a real edge in the market as customers begin to understand its importance. I’ve been in sustainability for 20 years and the traction that has occurred within just the last 2-3 years has been incredible. Much of that change has been driven by politics, but there’s also a real grass-roots demand for it, a real industry disruption. Customers are beginning to scrutinise what they’re buying and asking tough questions; making sustainable products, in a sustainable way, really puts us at the forefront of the market.
A&D: Why is Autex sponsoring the 2020 Sustainability Awards?
AH: Autex has always been a leader in sustainability but, in this age of ‘greenwashing’, it’s in danger of becoming a throw-away term. Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly easy for suppliers to hint at sustainability without actually putting any of the practices in place. We have a responsibility to the industry to make our message quite clear – to show them what we’re doing, in terms of sustainable practices, and why we’re doing it.
Q+A with Aidan Hill from AutexWhen the market is flooded with competition and sustainability – one of your key differentiators – is routinely misappropriated throughout the industry, how do ensure that your business not only survives, but thrives?
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Green Building Material Award Nominees
proudly partnered by Autex
STORMTECH 100TII20
TILE INSERT LINEAR DRAIN
STORMTECH
CARBON NEUTRAL FLOORS
INTERFACE
GREENBINDER -110E
FLUX DESIGN AUSTRALIA AND
FINE POWDER TECHNOLOGY
STORMTECH ZYPHO WASTE WATER
HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM
STORMTECH
EASYDRAIN EDGE
EVERHARD INDUSTRIES
HEMP BLOCK AUSTRALIA (HBA)
EFFICIENT BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
SKETCHI ARCHITECTS WITH HEMP BLOCK
AUSTRALIA (HBA)
TINY HOUSE
THE BOWER REUSE AND REPAIR CENTRE
JEWELL STATION – BRICK INLAY
OF RECLAIMED BRICKS
MA ARCHITECTS WITH FORM BRICK
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Award Winner
GREEN BUILDING MATERIAL
CARBON NEUTRAL FLOORS
BY INTERFACE
Interface’s Carbon Neutral Floors was achieved from the mission to live zero. Zero waste, greenhouse gas emissions and net water use, 100 percent renewable energy and a closed technical loop via product take back, 100 percent recycled or biobased materials and other goals related to transportation, stakeholder well-being and business models that “redesign commerce”.
The goal is to make products with the lowest carbon footprint possible that help restore the health of the planet. Interface says it’s committed to lower our carbon footprint across all areas of our business. Providing environmentally responsible flooring solutions to the built industry where both embodied and operation carbon can be reduced even further.
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Their utility in everyday life is something many of us take for granted, however their value and service however comes with impacts and issues that demand environmentally focused attention across the product life-cycle and throughout the supply chain. The impacts and issues are diverse including:
• the use of non-renewable and scarce resources;
• the use of hazardous, toxic or restricted substances in the production of electronics;
• the generation of solid waste and hazardous waste arising from end-of-life, redundant, obsolete and damaged products including furniture, lighting technologies, floor covering and electronic equipment;
• emissions to air, water and soil associated with the entire electronics life-cycle but especially the use or operational phase of products;
• planned obsolescence which can lead to premature disposal of products and associated solid and hazardous wastes;
• the difficulty to repair and refurbish products in a cost effective;
• waste-related impacts associated with consumables such as batteries;
• product designs and fixing/fastening methods which work against viable or cost-effective disassembly, reuse, repair and recycling; and
• the social dimension associated with many of the above impacts and issues eg conflict minerals used in manufacturing smartphones.
And many of these issues are being addressed by manufacturers, brands and the wider industry, by governments, by universities and research institutions, by non-government organisations, and by consumers empowering themselves to ensure the right to repair for example.
So the imperative is very clear, especially for those who design, make and specify products and materials. We need to shift from the take-make-waste model of production and consumption to a circular mode of thinking and action. To a significant degree this means:
• designing out waste and pollution from the outset;
• prolonging the life of products, components and materials to extract maximum value;
• closing materials loops and striving for higher levels of widespread upcycling;
• striving for regenerative and restorative models as opposed to merely doing less harm;
• decarbonising our products and services and shifting to renewables;
• working collaboratively across sectors, industries, communities and supply chains;
• acknowledging that a circular economy requires system-wide redesign; and
• treating disruption, innovation and creativity as catalysts for positive change and reform.
The transition to a circular economy needs collaboration at unprecedented levels and a much more rigorous view of the tools, models, strategies, investments and policies that can deliver next level change. Indeed, designers are well placed to innovate at unprecedented levels in pursuit of responsible prosperity and circular outcomes.
The ability to design-out pollution and waste from the outset will be key measure of success, and designers are the most obvious ‘first responders’.
More information: ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Circular thinking for products and materials
Mass produced products are proliferating in society, and in many cases they are often essential devices, fixtures and fittings that bring functional support, improved safety, convenience, and of course entertainment.
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For Autex, a company that has been developing polyester acoustic products for over 30 years, a crowded marketplace simply emphasises its position as leader.
Autex’s latest product range – Frontier™ – exemplifies everything that the company strives for and, once again, sets a new industry standard for performance, aesthetics and sustainability. Frontier™ is an innovative acoustic system, offering targeted sound absorption, countless colour and style configurations and stress-free installations. Available in Fins or Raft – a new, innovative three-dimensional design that delivers profound acoustic performance – Frontier™ elevates acoustic panelling from fixture to feature. Customers can choose from 17 colours, nine styles and multiple configurations to create either a bold design statement or a subtle finish, that blends flush to the ceiling.
‘Designed for disassembly’, Frontier’s™ innovative connector clip system and multiuse aluminium channels enable Fins and Raft options to be dismantled as quickly and easily as they’re installed – creating on-site efficiencies, as well as greater flexibility to reposition or reuse in future.
All Autex products, including the Frontier™ range, are made from highly-compressed polyester – a material that provides high acoustic performance, while being extremely lightweight, non-toxic and sustainable. When it comes to sustainability, Autex is continuously pushing the boundaries, ensuring that its polyester has the highest recycled content possible, without compromising on performance. This ambitious goal currently enables Autex to divert more than 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste into their products – the equivalent of 36 million plastic bottles a year.
As part of Autex’s commitment to creating healthy, environmentally friendly products, its polyester uses advanced fibre technology, instead of adhesives, resulting in low to zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In fact, all Autex products meet the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) standard for testing VOC emissions, as well as Health Product Declaration certification and is Declare Red List Free.
For more information about Frontier™, visit www.autexglobal.com or call directly on 1800 678 160.
In recent years, the industry has seen an influx of interior acoustic products. However, while the acoustic product options are almost endless, not all are equal.
From Ceiling Fixture to Design Feature – Frontier Fins and Raft Acoustic System from Autex
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Image caption TBC
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For Autex, a family business that has been manufacturing polyester products since 1967, sustainability is a principle that has been passed down through three generations. “Sustainability has been a core value throughout most of Autex’s history”, explains Global Technical and Sustainability Manager, Aidan Hill. “Every decision – from how our products are made to how our design and manufacturing teams communicate – is made with sustainability in mind. A lot of our sustainable initiatives have been in place since the business started, so it’s in the business DNA”.
THE HEART OF SUSTAINABILITY
As a family business, Hill points to the idea of legacy as playing a role in the company’s principles. “It makes sense that, if you’re building a business that will be passed onto future generations, it should be sustainable. A lot of the values from our founders have filtered through into how we approach things today, so creating healthy, safe products and reducing waste have always been our priorities”.
PUTTING SUSTAINABILITY INTO PRACTICE
Reducing waste is a goal that Autex takes very seriously. All Autex products are made from highly-compressed polyester with the highest recycled content possible, without compromising on performance. In fact, the company currently diverts an impressive 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste into their products – the equivalent of 36 million plastic bottles a year.
“We’re constantly looking for opportunities to lower the environmental impact of our products while not compromising product performance” reveals Hill. “We had recent success in a dematerialisation initiative where we actually created better performing products using 20% fewer resources”.
The company operates a zero-waste production line for a product range and operates a rigorous screening process of all suppliers to ensure that the end-to-end supply chain is sustainable. As part of Autex’s commitment to creating healthy, environmentally friendly products, its polyester uses advanced fibre technology, instead of adhesives, resulting in low to zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In fact, all Autex products meet the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) standard for testing VOC emissions, as well as Health Product Declaration certification and is Declare Red List Free.
CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARDS
SUSTAINABILITY
For a company that has always taken sustainability seriously, throughout its 50-year history, it has been heartening to see a growing interest in sustainable products from its customer base, in recent years. “I majored in environmental science at university and have been in sustainability for more than 20 years – but it’s the last 2-3 years where I’ve really seen customers starting to really scrutinise the sustainability credentials of
products”, reveals Hill. It is this growing scrutiny that has made certification more crucial than ever before, as the difference between real and implied sustainability has become harder for customers to distinguish. “Designers and specifiers simply don’t have the time to extensively research each product used in a building, so there is often a lot of trust placed in choosing green materials. Autex has addressed this issue by using well regarded certifications and having our environmental claims independently verified under ISO 14021 so our customers can have confidence that our claims are true.”, explains Hill.
SUSTAINABILITY NOW AND THEN
Looking back at how Autex’s approach to sustainability has changed throughout the years, it seems that while the methods may have become more sophisticated and far-reaching, the core principles remain unchanged. “I think it has always boiled down to constantly asking the question: how can we reduce waste? The reasons for doing so are the same today as they were back in 1967 – because it makes good business sense and it’s better for the environment”, explains Hill. “For Autex, we’ll keep on asking that question to reframe waste as a resource – whether it’s ‘how can we include more recycled content in our products?’ to ‘how can we ensure our suppliers are reducing their energy, water, and material waste?’. It’s a journey we’ve been on for more than 50 years and will continue for many years to come”.
Sustainability Journey - What’s Changed?Where does the drive to become more sustainable come from? The answer is different for every business. For some it’s just a numbers game while, for others, it’s about keeping employees and customers safe – or simply the desire to do good.
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From wood, fibres and hides, through to glass, ceramics, metals, plastics and rubber, our ability to transform basic resources into high functional products and materials has been astonishing. Some are grown, some are mined and many are so dramatically converted into modern composites, polymers and alloys, that the ability to comprehend their root source is near impossible without technical or scientific knowledge.
For designers, architects, engineers and artists, the novelty and potential of materials provides the basis for creating and producing everything physical around us. A simple taxonomy of materials also helps to differentiate between the ‘natural’ and the artificial, as well as renewable and non-renewable. These characteristics rest at the core of most discussions concerning sustainability and the extent to which society is devouring the future through unsustainable modes of production and consumption.
The Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University in Victoria, is one of the few research centres in Australia brimming with professors and talented academics conducting advanced projects that push the boundaries of new materials with extraordinary functionally.
What differentiates the Institute for Frontier Materials from other groups is their understanding of the circular economy and how their applied research outcomes can be truly restorative and regenerative while delivering superior levels of environmental performance and functionality. And this is further highlighted through their vision, which is to lead and inspire innovations in
materials science and engineering that have a transformational benefit to society.
This highly technical and scientific group reflects a broader social maturity, and the wider benefit of how materials are conceived, transformed and consumed in society. They have a noble mission by seeking to create and translate knowledge at the frontier of materials science for globally raised standards of living by:
• redesigning materials for a circular economy;
• Imparting materials with extraordinary functionality; and
• innovating with nature’s materials.
Problem-focused within the context of a circular economy, the Institute for Frontier Materials confronts complex challenges in the areas of energy, health, environment and manufacturing. They go beyond yesterday’s materials research that seeks to recycle plastics into garden furniture and synthetic ‘eco’ decking. More so, they are driven by the desire to design materials and associated systems solution that build natural, social and economic capital.
Through their world-class research on next level battery chemistries, carbon fibre, bio-materials and many other materials and substances, the Institute for Frontier Materials is the essence of what it takes to make Australia the clever country without compromising environmental objectives.
More information: deakin.edu.au/ifm
New frontier materials research The world of materials is as diverse as the many applications we have devised and experimented with.
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