Preface Buildings have always been used to showcase cultural psychology, norms and values. In ancient Greece, the sculptures surrounding the outer walls conveyed the story of heroism. In Gothic religious buildings, exquisite decorations convey theological messages. The grandeur of Baroque architecture is designed to embody strength, victory and wealth. As time passed, the outer wall…
Preface In the past ten years, Australia’s population has grown by 3.8 million. Among the capital cities, Melbourne has the fastest growth-nearly 1 million new immigrants in the ten years ending in June 2016. With this growth, the social infrastructure needs to be expanded-all the common social services and facilities that people need throughout their…
Urban planners, governments and developers are increasingly interested in making cities “livable”. But which features contribute to livability? Which areas of the city are the least livable and most livable? The various livability rankings (which Australia tends to do well) do not provide much useful guidance. In the recently released report “Creating Livable Cities in…
Reverse mortgages are a way to unlock home equity, and for many Australians, it is an important part of wealth. The Financial System Inquiry (Financial System Inquiry) proposed this mortgage to support retirees to diversify their wealth and improve the efficiency of Australia’s financial system. The relative growth rate of reverse mortgages corresponds to this,…
If you have ever bought a house, you will know that the sale of a house will not tell you the heating, cooling, and electricity costs for the house every day and every month. The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) 2016 called for the establishment of a unified national household sustainability rating system. It…
The green infrastructure of our city includes public, designed and demarcated areas, as well as informal and unplanned vegetation areas-informal green spaces. These spaces account for a large part of the urban green space. However, a recent study found that they are usually one of the most overlooked urban spaces, which may lead to negative…
The green infrastructure of our city includes public, designed and demarcated areas, as well as informal and unplanned vegetation areas-informal green spaces. These spaces account for a large part of the urban green space. However, a recent study found that they are usually one of the most overlooked urban spaces, which may lead to negative…
The government’s HomeBuilder program allows certain homeowners to apply for a tax-exempt grant of $25,000 when their expenditure on renovating or building a new home is between $150,000 and $750,000. The qualification criteria are strict. In some respects, the proposal promoted discussions about renovations (although, as CoreLogic pointed out, it may only present planned work).…
Make your house comfortable and sustainable, prevention is better than cure. Prevention refers to simple modifications that can bring you a comfortable and sustainable path. As we spend more money than ever to maintain and improve houses, we are also becoming more aware of how the design and use of houses affect our health and…
Preface The construction of new buildings emits 48 megatons of carbon dioxide (CO 2) annually, which is equivalent to the net emissions of the entire Scottish country. The materials, transportation and construction of new buildings all require a lot of carbon. For example, cement is estimated to account for 8% of global CO2 emissions. Existing…