Engineers are using a unique test facility called the Wall of Wind to develop housing that’s both affordable and disaster-resistant. Their tests show the magnitude of the challenge.
Articles on Building standards
Displaying 1 - 20 of 26 articles
An expert explains how insulation works and why it matters.
Engineers use giant fans in the Wall of Wind test facility to study the destructive ways these powerful winds can interact with tall buildings.
Older homes are more at risk from bushfires. Retrofitting can make your house more likely to weather a fire.
The 2014 Lacrosse fire was costly, but no lives were lost, unlike the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that claimed 72 lives. Years later, more work is needed in four key areas to ensure buildings are safe.
A tonne of carbon dioxide is released for every tonne of cement manufactured from limestone.
We could make our hot cities cooler with white roofs and light roads. But progress has been glacially slow.
Apartment residents need more sustainable, climate-adapted designs. They shouldn’t have to depend on costly, high-emissions air conditioning to remain comfortable and healthy.
Compared to roughly 80% in the US, UK and NZ, only 11% of Australian homes have high-performance windows. Installing them can transform a household’s comfort, energy use and emissions.
Throughout last winter, 81% of homes in a new study were colder than the recommended minimum – the coldest fell to a minimum hourly average of 5 degrees. Cold homes can have deadly consequences.
Mould is a health hazard and renters are most at risk. Here experts in health, law, building and construction examine the problem of mould in homes and offer guidance for both renters and landlords.
Improving the performance of nearly 11 million existing homes will make a much bigger difference to housing energy costs and emissions than an incoming 7-star energy standard for new homes.
Australian plumbing standards require apartment buildings to have systems designed for three times their actual peak water use. This can lead to costly water damage on top of inflated building costs.
Past claims about the costs of 5-star and then 6-star home energy ratings were overblown. We are hearing similar claims about the new 7-star standard, but good design makes it a good deal for owners.
The National Construction Code has no minimum ventilation requirements for schools, aged care institutions, pubs, restaurants and health-care facilities.
Housing standards in Australia have slipped behind the rest of the world. But momentum is growing to revive past ambitions to build the best homes we can.
The test facility in Miami helps building designers prevent future storm damage. With the warming climate intensifying hurricanes, engineers are planning a new one with 200 mph winds and storm surge.
Construction experts explain the various factors that likely came into play, leading to the collapse of a building which had reportedly been sinking for some time.
Since the Grenfell Tower fire claimed 72 lives in 2017, Australia has identified flammable cladding on more than 3,400 buildings. Despite apartment owners’ fears and rising costs, few have been fixed.
Weak regulation and a lack of mandatory inspections have increased fire risks for the one in four homes with rooftop PV panels. Here’s what we need to do to be safer.
Top contributors
-
Associate Professor in Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
-
Associate Dean, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
-
Research Fellow in Climate Change Adaptation, La Trobe University
-
Associate Professor in Architecture, Adelaide University
-
Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Technology Sydney
-
Professor of Civil Engineering, Florida International University
-
Associate Professor in Housing, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
-
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Florida International University
-
Director, Glowpear, Board member, ISDRS, Vice President, AHA and Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design, RMIT University
-
Lecturer in Construction and Property, The University of Melbourne
-
Associate Professor, School of Built Environment, UNSW
-
Adjunct lecturer, Victoria University
-
Director of the Extreme Events Institute, Florida International University
-
Postdoctoral research associate, Queensland University of Technology
-
Associate Professor and Co-Director of Studies for Construction Law, The University of Melbourne