Join us for the next Big Debate – a panel discussion and audience vote to decide if Australia is ready to mandate carbon budgets for building projects to avoid demolition.

The topic

Embodied carbon is one of the biggest rising concerns for the built environment. Whether you’re an architect, engineer, developer or consultant, you know how volatile the mention of carbon is. Tearing down buildings today is increasingly seen as a bad idea – the argument is we need to retain all the carbon we can.

Legislation

In the UK, the London Plan prompted global headlines when new planning provisions around carbon limits made it very difficult to demolish buildings and a furore emerged over the well-known department store, Marks & Spencer. In Australia there’s emerging moves from governments to develop national frameworks along similar lines.

Professionals say it sometimes takes more carbon to keep a building upright – or safe – than to build new.

How it works

Before the debate kicks off, you’ll be asked to vote on the proposition:

We need to mandate carbon limits for new projects to avoid (or stop) demolition of existing buildings

Our panellists will share their six individual view points (they can make a strong case or argue from their own unique viewpoints). Then you get a chance to share your questions and views in a generous QandA session.

And you’ll be invited to vote again.

Will you change your mind?

You’ll hear from:

The engineer – Tristram Carfrae from Arup is challenging. Columns and basements use a heap of carbon. How about reducing these, or using stone? This engineer, known globally for his outstanding work and engineering awards – think the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, the Water Cube for the Beijing Olympics and One Eagle Street among many other highly regarded buildings – also knows what happened at the Marks & Spencer redevelopment project at Oxford Street in London. Read our interview with Tristram here

The consent authority – Jess Miller, Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney. The City has just announced it will demolish seven buildings to make way for a grand public square. Iin London they have mandated carbon assessments across the entire metropolitan region. Can Sydney lead the way in Australia?

The architect – Jeff Morgan, Hassell. Architects are at the front end of what our future built environment looks like. How do they persuade clients to go along with the sustainability goals: what gets the client across the line and when does the client draw a line in the sand?

The developer – Filomena Beshara, Freecity, ex Built and ex several years in New York working on adaptive re-use projects. This is sustainability work at close quarters from the inside of the decision making process – and how to balance green objectives with market reality.

The quantity surveyor – Michael Mihailou, RLB, is where the buck stops. Money, cost, budget is always at the heart of the decision making. But how do these experts assess carbon and sustainability – short and longer term? How do they paint the scenarios their clients expect to choose from? This is a mysterious world full of possibilities and the ability to influence how these professionals work, what they bring to the equation and how they measure it, could be the solution to our green dreams.

The MC – Maria Atkinson, NSW Net Zero Commissioner. No matter what the argument, how contentious, how ribald, Maria knows how to work the crowd and keep things moving fast and highly interesting. This MC has had a huge track record at our events – she’s highly engaged, knowledgeable and always with a close eye on the passion and the fun that paves the way for progress and solutions!

Contact the host of Carbon Triggers: The Big Debate

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