Resources
Please note:
Commonwealth of Australia - DCCEEW This department provides useful information on the trajectory of Low Energy Buildings, in particular the (2019) Addendum that centers on existing buildings. Links can be found here. A national baseline study has recently been published on commercial buildings energy consumption. It can be found here.
Climateworks have created a report on the role of buildings in decarbonising Australia, as part of a larger report: Decabonisation Futures. It can be found here.
Green Building Council Australia have developed reports on Mid-tier (B, C, and D grade) office building retrofits in the context of energy efficiency (2015). A link to these reports can be found here.
Sustainability Victoria have commissioned a series of reports on the commercial building stock of Victoria, Mid-tier Office Buildings, and energy efficiency upgrades (2018). A link to their research on commercial building retrofits can be found here. Victorian Healthy Homes Program Report (2020) can be found here. Household Retrofit Trials Reports (2015-2019) can be found here.
University of Wollongong Mid-tier Office Building, HVAC repair and maintenance (2021). Which can be found here.
ClimateKIC in connection with RACE for 2030 CRC have produced a report outlining the pathway to retrofitting 1 million+ homes (2021) It can be found here.
ARUP have produced a report on Low Carbon Futures for Existing Buildings which can be found here.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have chapters dedicated to the impacts of buildings on the climate, and mitigation and adaptation strategies for cities. Assessment Report 6 (2022) Part II & III can be found here and here respectively. Assessment Report 5 Part III (2014) has a chapter on Buildings toward climate mitigation which can be found here.
UN Environment Programme has produced a report on the Global Status of Buildings and Construction (2022). It can be found here. Additionally, UNEP has recently published a report on Emissions Gap Report 2022. It can be found here.
Please note:
Green Building Council Australia - GBCA have produced a practical guide to electrification for existing buildings (2022) in collaboration with CEFC, Cundall and the NSW Government. It can be found here.
UK Green Building Council - the UKGBC have published a guide to retrofitting commercial buildings which can be found here. They have also produced a Retrofit Playbook (2020) to guide the development of policies and initiatives to retrofit, and an interactive policy map of new and retrofit home policies across the UK. They can be found here and here.
US Department of Energy - have produced a series of Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides for several building typologies (2011). They can be found here.
Low Carbon Living CRC - The CRC produced a series of guides to retrofitting residential and commercial buildings that set out recommendations for retrofitting (2019). They can be found here.
City of Melbourne - The City of Melbourne, in conjunction with their 1200 Buildings (ended 2015) program created a series of guides, tips and advice for commercial buildings. A list of advice sheets can be found here. Greening Your Building - A toolkit for improving asset performance can be found here.
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors - RICS provide guidance for the installation of green walls and roofs to existing and new buildings (2016). A link to a guidance note can be found here.
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Last Updated: 09/01/2024
How to retrofit houses to reduce overheating [UK] (8th January 2024) - RIBA Journal
Incentives are required to drive green retrofitting [Scotland] (8th January 2024) - The Scotsman
Five ways retrofitting cities can help decarbonise our future [Australia] (22th November 2023) - Pursuit
CBD block flagged for “zero carbon” pilot as council endorses retrofit plan [Australia] (25th October 2023) - Docklands News
National energy program would boost economy and save power bills, ACOSS report finds [Australia] (6 October 2023) - ABC News
Festival of Electric Ideas Special Report [Australia] (3 October 2023) - The Fifth Estate
The ‘climate safe rooms’ keeping low-income Australians cool during heatwaves [Australia] (1 October 2023) - The Guardian
Council endorses retrofit plan to tackle city’s emissions [Australia] (27th September 2023) - Docklands News
$35m to retrofit Adelaide office with better energy efficiency [Australia] (11th September 2023) - Energy.Gov
The secret to $2-a-week energy bills? A $2 million renovation [Australia] (5 August 2023) - SBS News
M&S Oxford St reaction: ‘Watershed’ decision challenges knock-down and rebuild norms [UK] (1 August 2023) - Architect's Journal
How scope 3 emissions drives property management [Australia] (13 July 2023) - The Fifth Estate
Budget’s energy bill relief and home retrofit funding is a good start, but dwarfed by the scale of the task [Australia] (10 May 2023) - The Conversation
Households offered $1bn help in budget to install energy saving measures [Australia] (9 May 2023) - The Guardian
To Ensure a Building’s Roof Withstands Extreme Events, It Must Be Designed Better than Code and Be Built with Life Cycle Costs in Mind [USA] (2 May 2023) - Retrofit Magazine
Tenants and housing providers at odds over sustainability retrofits [Australia] (2 May 2023) - The Fifth Estate
Participant Buildings Chosen for Toronto's Deep Retrofit Challenge [USA] (2 May 2023) - Urban Toronto
On Urban Greening 2023 and the challenge of valuing nature [Australia](1 May 2023) - The Fifth Estate
Experts predict fierce industry pushback if property owners are forced to disclose climate risk [Australia] (4 April 2023) - The Fifth Estate
Weather events expected to trigger escalated strata insurance costs [Australia] (29 April 2023) - Build Australia
Every Building Counts [Australia] (27th April 2023) - Green Building Council Australia
Urban farming revolution hits city workplaces and apartment buildings [Australia] (3 April 2023) - The Fifth Estate
The evidence is in: energy efficient homes boost health for low-income residents [Australia] (30 March 2023) - The Fifth Estate
Mayor to investigate London’s housing demolition ‘loophole’ [UK] (24 March 2023) - Architect's Journal
On two cities’ radically different approaches to urban greening [Australia] (9 March 2023) - The Fifth Estate
Architect in the community: How do you mass-retrofit listed homes? [UK] (23 February 2023) - Architect's Journal UK
Heavy industry in Australia could decarbonise, help limit warming to 1.5 degrees and create up to 1.35 million jobs: new report outlines pathways [Australia] (20 February 2023) - Climateworks
City of Melbourne Planning Scheme Amendment C376 - Sustainable Building Design Standards [Australia] (February 2023) - City of Melbourne
As heatwaves and floods hit cities worldwide, these places are pioneering solutions [Australia] (23 January 2023) - The Conversation
MP calls for ‘retrofit hubs’ in net zero review [UK] (16 January 2023) - Architect's Journal UK
Energy efficiency: Retrofit guidelines for multi-storeyed and individual buildings[India](11 January 2023) - Citizen Matters Bengaluru
MPs call for ‘war effort’ push on retrofit and insulation [UK](5 January 2023) - Architect's Journal UK
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No more buts: your buildings need to be climate resilient now! [Australia] (21 December 2022) - The Fifth Estate
Ross Harding’s New Normal and what it can do for innovation [Australia] (20 December 2022) - The Fifth Estate
Towards net zero neighbourhoods [Australia](12 December 2022) - The Fifth Estate
World's first 'upcycled' skyscraper saves Australian tower from demolition [Australia](7 December 2022) - CNN
‘Students told to ignore existing building’ – survey reveals retrofit teaching gap [UK](6 December 2022) - Architect's Journal UK
100 per cent electrification to save $49 billion [Australia] (5 December 2022) - The Fifth Estate
Government finally bows to pressure to insulate Britain [UK](30 November 2022) - The Fifth Estate
Demolition or disrepair: the choice facing residents on one London estate [UK] (22 November 2022) - openDemocracy
HUD Reaffirms Its Efforts on Climate Change [USA](19 November 2022) - DSNews USA
As of 2023, buildings seeking a 5 Star or 6 Star rating will need to meet additional requirements. [Australia] (15 November 2022) - Green Building Council Australia
Our buildings are driving us closer to ‘climate hell’ – how do we get back on course to net zero? [Australia] (10 November 2022) - The Conversation
Refurbishing not demolishing Port Melbourne public housing estate could save Victoria $88m, study finds [Australia] (1 November 2022) - The Guardian
Upcycling the highrise: Quay Quarter Tower [Australia] (18 October 2022) - Architecture AU
Deep retrofit for more accessible, equitable and resilient houses [Australia] (12 May 2022) - Architecture AU