Urban Sustainability in Australia

In part 2 we expand into areas such as eco-friendly buildings, solar cities, and car-free cities.

Eco Sky Scrapers

Ken Yeang is an innovative and successful architect operating in Malaysia whose company is synonymous with cutting edge research, design, and the development of energy-efficient tall buildings.

In a recent paper, Yeang stated: “The orientation of a large building is central to energy efficiency, especially as it receives the full impact of external temperatures and radiant heat.” Yeang added that plants can absorb carbon dioxide and generate oxygen, benefiting the building and its surroundings. In more temperate climates solar windows can be located on the outer face to collect the sun’s heat. He added the building plan is also a central element to this ecological approach, which involves understanding the spatial modalities of people, the way they work and the way culture arranges privacy and community.

One of Yeang’s projects is the Tokyo-Nara Tower, where a radical/spiral movement of floor planes allows the floors to shade themselves as they spiral up. The displaced pattern exploited the benefits of hanging gardens, inter-floor bracing and ventilation systems providing a constantly changing major space, articulated by terraces, internal courts and private gardens.

Solar Cities in Australia

Solar power is a zero emission energy source in which Australia has developed leading-edge technologies. This power can be utilized either as heat (solar hot water systems) or through conversion of solar power to electricity. Solar technologies are used widely in Australia and receive significant government support.

Solar cities in Australia refers to an extensive program implemented by the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO), which is providing up to 50 percent funding for Solar Cities trial projects in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The aim of these trials is to demonstrate the economic and environmental costs and benefits of the large-scale installation of solar energy technology. Through the Solar Cities trials, challenges to solar generation and demand-side participation in grid-connected urban areas will be addressed.

Car-free Cities

Present research seems unable to decide whether alternative fuel sources will alleviate any of the issues associated with oil. Car-free cities offer a solution to our oil shortages while also providing a better quality of life, reduced energy consumption and improved long-term environmental sustainability. While public transport would need to eventually meet and exceed the effectiveness of a car, cities in Australia have already proposed the idea of car-free days to raise awareness and plant the seeds of possibility in this area. Whatever the future may hold for cars, you can be sure that changes to our main mode of transport are likely.

What will the future city look like?

The New Internationalist magazine (NI), revealed a proposed image for a city in 2025, which described the city as being “sensitive” and biological in nature. “Built into its structures—bridges, roads, buildings—will be “sensors” that respond to changes in heat, light, noise or electromagnetic fields. In what was described as Friendly Buildings, the article suggested that buildings will be highly eco-friendly and quiet.

The magazine also revealed that reflectors, skylights and high-tech systems that pipe sunlight deep inside will reduce the need for artificial lights. The sun will be the main source of energy. Electricity will be produced by solar photo-voltaic cells, integrated into facades or roofs. People will be able to buy power from the local utility and sell power back to it, depending on need and the time of day.

While this may be an optimistic view of our future cities, the NI magazine did foresee a future very much in line with current global initiatives.

In the third and final part to this current series on sustainable cities, The Epoch Times will look in detail at a unique development site in Perth, Western Australia and its successful approach to urban sustainability.