Beyond Green: The Rise of Net-Positive Architecture in Australia

Regenerative architecture is more than damage control. The wide-ranging design philosophy goes further than minimising environmental harm, promoting designs that actively heal ecosystems, according to Fender Katsalidis (FK) principal Helen Kuo. It’s a bold claim to make given that construction, by definition, reshapes the environment it inhabits. But given that global wilderness areas have shrunk from 66 per cent in 1937 to 35 per cent in 2020—according to David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet —the stakes are high and design should now be geared towards restoring what has been lost. “Regeneration is not short term; the steps to regeneration are incremental,” Kuo says. “But the industry is now taking the time to reassess and re-evaluate its approach before starting new projects.” This will be even more important as Australia moves towards making biodiversity mandatory. Regulatory environment Under England’s Biodiversity Net Gain policy, most new developments are legally required to provide a 10 per cent net increase in biodiversity, creating or enhancing habitats such as grasslands, ponds and green roofs. This necessitates developers to undertake an ecological survey, a biodiversity calculation and an enhancement plan before projects are approved. ▲ Principal at FK Architects Helen Kuo: Regeneration is not short term; the steps to regeneration are incremental. If Australia went in the same direction, it would make regenerative design not just a ‘nice to have’ but an essential consideration, so the focus needs to change, Nature Based Cities and Hamton Property Group founder Paul Hameister says. “There’s a lot of work being done on circular building materials and low-carbon construction materials but there has been nowhere near enough emphasis on nature as a part of the solution,” Hameister says. “We expect that [organisations like the Green Building Council] will head towards a version of the biodiversity net gain tool but it’s not coming for a couple of years and it’s unclear how it’s going to be formalised. “The problem with Biodiversity Net Gain, though, is that it can be satisfied by buying credits, which means that there’s something being done good for nature somewhere but it’s not in the cities.” ▲ Nature Based Cities and Hamton Property Group founder Paul Hameister. Biodiversity and regeneration is increasingly expected as a part of projects, according to property sales and marketing firm Tallpopie director Darragh Heard. “We’re living in a time where we are expected to give back more than we consume, which is why the net-positive design of regenerative architecture is so powerful,” Heard says. “At the rate we’re going with carbon targets though, while regenerative architecture may just be a buzz concept at the moment, it could well become a mandate in the not too distant future.” In fact, the NSW Government’s Draft Greener Places Design Guide describes the framework for planning, design, and delivery of green infrastructure in urban areas to create more livable and climate resilient places, so these changes could be happening sooner rather than later. Shifting by degrees With growing awareness of our impact on the natural world, habits are beginning to change and our approach to designing new buildings, and adapting old ones, needs to catch up. “In many instances briefing periods are taking longer, where the end-user requirements are analysed in greater detail via surveys and demographic studies, before decisions are made to create a quantum of new spaces,” Kuo says. There are small things that can be done to move towards a more regenerative design in our buildings, Kuo says. “It can be a small step, with significant impact to our ecosystem. ▲ Tallpopie director Darragh Heard: We are expected to give back more than we consume. “[An example is] using materials from organic matter, like mycelia, which our team has been using to make fabric and lampshades. “There are some interesting little gestures, similar to using these organic materials for design, and there are also strategies we can integrate in design to encourage nature, such as bee bricks, which allow bees to nest in a building.” But these “small gestures” can come with growing pains; mycelium fabrics are difficult to mass produce and buyers would need to get comfortable living next to beehives. “We want to make these gestures a little bit more common and provide something that standardises the environment for wildlife living in and around your house,” Kuo says. “And that goes beyond, say, introducing biophilia within our buildings which does not improve the natural environment in the sense of reconnecting with the biodiversity in nature … it is often symbolic rather than functional.” As a result, it is becoming less acceptable to pursue performative biophilic design. “If we can actually re-green our cities, and not just for ornamental purposes but supporting biodiversity, then, you know, as a species, we’re, we’re going to lighten our impact on the environment,” Hameister says. “And we’re missing out on all the mental health and wellbeing benefits of a connection to nature in our cities.” ▲ Hamton has brought in an ecologist to help encourage native bird populations at its Hawthorn Scotch Hill Gardens project. Even a relatively low-cost solution of bringing in an ecologist to advise on planting palettes to encourage native species is a step forward, he says. “And a growing segment of buyers are well aware of the environmental challenges that lie ahead,” Heard says. “They want to future proof their homes against rising energy costs, water scarcity and climate extremes.” While it could become more essential in the future, these are all experimental elements that require time and investment in R&amp;D, which a cash-strapped and time-poor industry is not always rich in. So regeneration can come at a more fundamental level, Kuo says. Thinking smarter, not harder FK is working on the Chatswood towers at Pacific Highway announced last week , and Kuo says the mixed-use precinct embodies regenerative design principles by efficiently layering land uses. This approach reduces the total built area needed, preserves open space for biodiversity, and minimises carbon emissions from transportation, with its proximity to key transport node at Chatswood, she says. But the push needs to come from all sides, says Kuo. “If a client wants to consolidate 40 different locations into one, do they really need 10sq m for every one of their 50,000 staff? “We always try to make these spaces work harder and reduce the amount we are actually building, and this is the foundation in our design process.” ▲ Landcom is also planning retail and community uses for the Chatswood site. The next step to regeneration is reuse and adapt, she says. “Before we consider a new-build, we review the conditions of the existing building, and investigate the potential to adapt the existing structure as much as we can.” Developers and architects can’t ignore the shift in buyers to live more consciously. “They’re more concerned with the provenance and end-of-life outcomes of the materials they use to build with,” Heard says. “They expect that the homes they build will last, are properly adapted to their changing needs, and able to withstand climate challenges.” Architects often have an obsession with perfection, Kuo says, and how well buildings will look in 50 years. “Can we change that measurement of success to how well it has cycled through different uses and still survived, and how do we layer these different users into a design that allows for that change?” Kuo says. “Our environment isn’t what it was 50 years ago. And ways of living have also evolved, with changing demographics, lifestyles and behaviour. “So what does nature look like now, and how do we co-exist with it and restore what we have lost?”

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