Design for a changing climate – Dr Paul Matthew, University of Queensland, School of Architecture, Design & Planning

Every renovation and new build project is an opportunity to create positive environmental change. But where should we concentrate our efforts to achieve the greatest impact?

In today's episode, Dr. Paul Matthew, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Queensland School of Architecture, Design and Planning, will share his research on building for a changing climate to help guide us forward.

Today we'll learn about:

• The latest climate change science and what we need to focus on in design.
• The regulatory changes in the pipeline for existing and proposed houses to help tackle climate change,
• The key steps to achieve net zero carbon, and
• Loads of other valuable insights, and practical information from Paul's years of research.

Australian Architects can claim formal CPD hours by listening to these podcasts and completing an online quiz.

MORE INFORMATION

Find everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website.

www.renovationcollaborative.com.au

• PODCAST Key points summary, timestamps and resource links
• FREE RESOURCES Transcript edited into clear Q&A.
• CPD Australian architects can find more information on CPD, and
• COURSES Eleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process.

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

1. The CSIRO have modelled the potential future impacts of climate change over course of the century in all the Australian climate zones. The link to this CSIRO document is in the show notes.

As the climate warms, design to optimise cooling through cross ventilation in summer will be critical for the whole of Australian. However it’s essential that rooms to be mechanically heated or cooled can be efficiently insulated and sealed to minimise energy consumption.

2. The Australian Government is planning two significant building regulatory changes to tackle climate change.

• The first proposed change affects new building work – Embodied carbon calculations are required as part of the Australian National Construction Code approval process. This change was enacted in 2025 in NSW for commercial buildings only. However, the goal at this early stage is to establish a standardized method for measuring embodied carbon.
• The second proposed change is for existing houses - An operational energy assessment will be required at the point of sale or lease using the NatHERS tool. This change is yet to be enacted, but it's worth noting that a very similar scheme has been in place in the ACT for over 25 years.

3. To achieve net zero carbon there are three steps:

The primary objective is to reduce operational carbon. To create highly energy efficient homes through strategies such as:

• climate responsive design
• systems like Passive House
• adding rooftop PV panels, and
• purchasing renewable energy via the grid

The secondary objective is to reduce embodied carbon...