Programme

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SESSION  1 |  The latest climate science and the urgency for action

 Tuesday 30 July, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM AEST

We kick off the series with a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the environment, with a specific focus on the implications of increasing global temperatures. This sets the context and scene for what we are trying to achieve. Why is it necessary to achieve net zero as soon as possible? Let's put it all in context. We address the multifaceted effects of climate change and the urgent need for global awareness and action.

Chair;

Tina Perinotto, Managing Editor, Founder, The Fifth Estate

Speakers;

Bruce Precious, Principal Consultant, Six Capital Consulting
Transforming the market for net zero emissions - your role in accelerating progress to net zero scope 3 - now
Bruce will discuss often misunderstood but critical components of emission reductions, namely scope 3, and why we should be aiming to make these zero.

Philip Oldfield, Head of School, Built Environment, UNSW
The Building Paradox
There are few things we can do that benefit society more than building. Creating housing, hospitals, community places and more. The United Nations suggest globally we should be building around 96,000 new affordable and accessible homes every day. Yet, for each square metre we build, there are significant environmental impacts through both the materials we use, and the energy we need to operate the space. This presents a paradox; projections anticipate we will double current global building stocks by 2060, during the exact same time period as we need to get down to ‘net zero’. How do we achieve necessary growth, in an equitable manner (in particular for developing economies), that does not blow our carbon budget? This presentation examines this conundrum. It explores the decisions and trade-offs we face and presents studies at both the building and national scale with a particular focus on embodied carbon and the different methods we use to measure this.

Nicholas Lander, Director of Climate Change Physical Risk & Resilience, Aurecon
Climate Risk and Resilience Planning

SESSION  2 | AI tools to help us reach net zero

 Tuesday 6 August 2024, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM AEST

Syed Ahsan Baqi, Senior Electrical Engineer, Cundall
The role of AI in designing and delivering net zero
Digital technology is an essential enabler for net zero and low-energy buildings and infrastructure across the asset lifecycle, from early design through delivery and into operations and end-of-life - and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a valuable catalyst for advanced approaches. In his presentation, Cundall Senior Electrical Engineer Syed Ahsan Baqi will highlight specific examples of the value of AI in the net zero transition including smart city infrastructure, smart microgrids, building energy optimisation, renewable energy integration, construction carbon footprint reduction, supply chain optimisation and project management. He will also outline a process for incorporating and utilising AI effectively, and explain the added value it can provide, particularly on complex and demanding projects.

Jin Kawasaki, PhD, Head Researcher, Mitsubishi Electric
Net Zero Energy Building Test Facility " SUSTIE" and Technology for Building  Management Systems
Net Zero is a crucial element in achieving sustainability, and many governments have set goals aiming for carbon neutrality. In the pursuit of Net Zero, net zero energy buildings (ZEB) that minimize environmental impact are garnering global attention. AI plays an indispensable role in the operation of ZEB.

Jin will introduce an example of a Japanese ZEB that successfully balances energy performance and comfort. He will also discuss how various equipment and control systems within the building are managed by a building management system (BMS) that utilizes AI.

Furthermore, he will clarify the IT infrastructure necessary for integrating AI and other cutting-edge technologies into smart buildings. The smart building platform technology provides digital twins and simulations of buildings, facilitating optimization through AI. With these mechanisms in place, smart buildings will continue to evolve towards achieving sustainability.

SESSION  3 | Tools for passive design 

 Tuesday 13 August, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM AEST 

Examining the built environment from large to small, we will cover passive measures to create resilient and healthy places and reduce operational carbon emissions. Starting with precinct design, it is critical to review mitigation strategies for the urban heat island effect in both new and existing areas. Looking closer, attention should be given to built form and facade design, balancing embodied and operational carbon to achieve net zero targets. Lastly, we delve into building interiors, considering layout, use/function, and passive measures such as natural ventilation to enhance thermal comfort through modeling.

Chair;

Marius Rime Meyer, Green Star AP, Senior Associate, Warren and Mahoney

Speakers;

Maíra André, PhD, Research Associate, Indoor Environmental Quality Lab,
The University of Sydney
Overheating in the Australian and NZ residential context
One important strategy for reducing housing energy consumption is designing for effective natural ventilation, which reduces the necessary space heating and cooling hours. At the same time, as heat waves become more common, designers need to account for the overheating risks of applying natural ventilation. CIBSE TM59 presents one of the few regulatory methods to evaluate overheating and could be used to avoid this problem. However, this tool was developed for temperate climates, such as those in the UK, and it is important to assess its applicability in the Australian context. The comparison of data collected in more than 140 dwellings in Sydney and Brisban indicates the thresholds for sleeping environments could be loosened. Most bedrooms do not comply with CIBSE requirements and present more than 1% of sleep hours under temperatures higher than 26 °C. On the other hand, occupants’ responses show the likelihood of warmth discomfort during sleep is lower than 20% when the indoor temperature is below 29 °C. Therefore, the 26 °C limit for the whole yearmay be too strict for use in naturally ventilated homes in subtropical regions of Australia.

Alex Bogdanova, Sustainability and Advanced Computational Design Lead SA, Mott MacDonald
Urban Heat Island Effect - Digital Design for Healthy Precincts
Up until now Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) wasn’t well addressed through scientific measures during the design process. Digital Excellence in Precinct Design provides tools to mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect and the opportunity to create healthier, safer, and more resilient places.

Andrew O’Donnell, Director, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)
Facade Design for net zero buildings
In the design of Net Zero buildings,  the façade has a significant effect on every element of whole life carbon: upfront embodied carbon, operational carbon and lifetime embodied carbon. The configuration of façade components plays a key role in moderating internal and external temperatures and by extension the operational carbon emissions of a building. There is a balance to be struck between reductions in operational carbon moderating the internal environment and the embodied carbon used to construct the façade which provides an environmental buffer. In addition, façades components will be replaced during the life of a building. This presentation will highlight the key issues in relation to each aspect of how façade design can contribute to Net Zero design.

SESSION  4 | Learnings from, and modifications to existing buildings

 Tuesday 20 August, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM AEST 

The retrofitting of existing buildings represents a critical area in the pursuit of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. 80% of buildings that will be in use in 2050 are already built, so they cannot be ignored when looking at the journey to net zero. This week we look at optimisation of existing buildings and what can be done to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in a practical manner. A huge part of this journey is the replacement of fossil fuel heating with all electric alternatives. We dive back into the world of heat pumps and design considerations.

Chair;

James Moyes, Technical Director, Energy Sector, VA Sciences

Speakers;

Eoin Loughnane, Manager NSW/ACT A.G. Coombs Advisory
Retrofitting Heat Pumps Navigating some of the challenges and pitfalls
There can be a misconception that electrification projects are a straightforward swap out of gas for electricity. They’re rarely that straightforward!  This talk will cover key considerations and specific actions needed to navigate heat pump retrofit projects.  We will cover several case studies to outline some challenges that arose and lessons learnt.

Michael Snow, Freelance Consultant, Energy Advisory
Electrification of Brownfield Commercial Buildings A practical guide
Electrification of heating hot water at brownfield sites that use gas boilers is not easy. There are a lot of technical considerations that engineers need to weigh up during solution development and almost always, design compromises will need to be made. These compromises cannot be reasonably avoided in the majority of cases and they are what we often struggle the most with because these introduce risks that cannot be ignored.

However, there are approaches that can be used to address these risks so that the most serious issues can be mitigated and those remaining can be controlled and managed. My presentation will take you through several risk weighted approaches to formulate and quantify the solution design, understand actual operational issues and address and design compromises that may be necessary to deliver an electrified, net zero heat pump heating solution. 

Iain Stewart, Co-Founder & CFO, Exergenics
Harnessing the Power of Historical Data: Doing More With Less
In this presentation, we delve into the significant role of high-quality historical data in boosting the efficiency and sustainability of commercial building systems through modern techniques such as simulation, optimization, and model predictive control. Attendees will explore strategies for maximizing building operations and climate impact by optimizing existing systems before retrofitting, and understand the critical role of rigorous Measurement and Verification (M&V) in ensuring that energy savings and efficiency gains are realized and sustained. This session promises to equip stakeholders with actionable insights to effectively harness historical data for smarter, more sustainable building management.

Panellist;

Adrian Parsons, Senior Product Engineer, Applied Products, Mitsubishi Electric Australia

SESSION  5 | Importance of culture; briefing tools & soft skills