With each passing year, there are new innovations in sustainable architecture and design, using cutting-edge technologies and materials.

What was once considered specialised and niche is quickly becoming an industry standard, bringing with it a plethora of new products to consider when specifying a build. Selecting products for a sustainable design can be intimidating – especially when you’re being bombarded with jargon and technical specifications.

Acoustics

When thinking about sustainable design, acoustics probably don’t come to mind, but depending on the build type, dampening noise pollution may be an important part of the brief. Taking this into consideration, Knauf has developed Stratopanel, an acoustic ceiling lining with built-in air purifying CLEANEO Technology. According to Knauf, used in the company’s perforated acoustic plasterboard range, the technology reduces both smells and airborne pollutants such as VOCs, improving overall air quality.

CLEANEO is derived from zeolite, which is a natural volcanic rock. When plasterboard containing zeolite is perforated, it purifies air as it filters through the perforations, and continues to improve air quality long after installation. In terms of acoustic performance, Stratopanel ceiling systems have been tested to achieve a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) value of 0.9.

The benefits of this air purifying acoustic system can be seen at Nazareth Catholic College (NCC) in Adelaide. Designed by Russell & Yelland, NCC is an independent co-educational school that caters to both primary and secondary students throughout campuses in Findon, Flinders Park, and the new senior school at Kidman Park.

The brief was to design a new senior school campus that would look and feel like a seamless extension of the existing campuses. Having previously specified Stratopanel, the architects once again chose the acoustic lining for its sustainable design and superior acoustic performance.

“Stratopanel by Knauf has acoustic properties that are essential in a learning environment. With high-level noise absorption treatment, the Stratopanel by Knauf panels were the ideal choice for the Nazareth Catholic College expansion,” says Hariklia Pontikinas, associate architect at Russell & Yelland.

“Not only do they ensure that the open quiet space cancels out external noise, empowering students to focus on their studies, but they also ensure teachers don’t need to strain their voices for students to hear them.”

A total of 2,378sqm of 12/20/66R pattern Stratopanel was installed across 85 percent of the ceilings throughout the project, including foyers, corridors, learning areas and the principal’s office. For added effect, and to complement the campus’s high-end finishes, panels used throughout the project were painted white and dark green.

Still on the topic of acoustics, another good sustainable option is Lanes by Autex Acoustics. According to Autex, Lanes is an industry-first battened-style acoustic treatment that marries functionality and elegant design. Inspired by the winding laneways of inner-city Melbourne, Lanes was developed to meet the complex design parameters and acoustic requirements of adaptive reuse projects.

As noted by Autex, old warehouses, factories and heritage-protected buildings have a lot to offer in terms of adaptive reuse, but they weren’t designed to house people. Designers who work with these spaces need a way to effectively control noise, while also accommodating existing electrical and plumbing infrastructure so that it is hidden yet still accessible for inspection and maintenance.

According to Autex, Lanes is a modular, lightweight, and adhesive-free system, which allows it to accommodate the diverse requirements of retrofits and new builds alike. Through the creation of 3D interior facades, it utilises an air gap to deliver low-frequency sound absorption, blocking up to 85 percent of reverberated noise in spaces it occupies.

Autex, Lanes is a modular, lightweight, and adhesive-free system, which allows it to accommodate the diverse requirements of retrofits and new builds alike. / Autex

In terms of sustainability, Lanes is an entirely carbon neutral product that is designed and manufactured in Australia. It is made from a minimum of 60 percent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a durable, lightweight, and easily mouldable material that is suited to a range of construction applications. Completely recyclable, the product can be used repeatedly, with many of its original properties easily recovered by mixing in additives or virgin plastic.

Heat and UV protection

Heat and UV protection is a crucial part of any sustainable design, especially in the hot, sunny climate found throughout most of Australia. One way to achieve this is through window coverings, such as Verosol’s SilverScreen roller blind fabrics, which reflect up to 85 percent of solar heat and light, have the lowest emissivity rating and are Global GreenTag certified.

According to Verosol, unlike other alternatives on the market, SilverScreen fabrics provide an openness factor as low as 2 percent. This means customers can enjoy the benefits of heat, light and UV protection without having to compromise on views. Other benefits include the ability to reduce energy consumption by approximately 20 percent in an air-conditioned building or 10 percent in a non-air-conditioned building.

This product has been used by Smart Design Studio, an architecture firm that designs everything from private homes to larger residential projects and public work – much of which incorporates environmentally sustainable design (ESD) principles.

“Concern for the environment informs everything we do at Smart Design Studio. It’s a top priority for all aspects of our operations, from design and material choice to how we handle our own office waste,” says Maggie Lum, a team leader and associate at SDS.

“We’ve installed blinds from Verosol’s SilverScreen Performance range throughout [the office]. It’s a comfortable naturally lit environment, in which all the blinds and windows are controlled by a building management system, which in turn, operates according to weather forecasting.

“Used in conjunction with passive design, hydronic underfloor cooling and fans, these blinds mean the studio is able to function comfortably throughout hot Sydney summers without air conditioning.”

SilverScreen performance fabrics have also been featured in some of Australia’s leading sustainable design projects. For example, 202 SilverScreen Performance semi-transparent metallised fabric was used in Sydney’s Green Square Library – a 3,000sqm glass-covered public facility. 205 SilverScreen Performance was also used in Sydney’s Barangaroo Tower 3, a 39-level glass facade building in the heart of Sydney Harbour.

Carpet tile

Flooring is another important component to consider when designing a sustainable build. Timber tends to be a popular choice, but for residential applications in particular, some clients may opt for carpet. In this case, one option to investigate is Interface’s Embodied Beauty Collection, which features a range of carpet tile designs, including the company’s first carbon negative carpet tile.

According to Interface, after achieving carbon neutrality across the full life cycle of its carpet tile and resilient flooring products, the company decided to take things further by creating a carpet tile that is carbon negative when measured from cradle to gate (from raw materials through to manufacturing). The carbon negative materials in the CQuest BioX backing, in combination with specialty yarns and tufting processes, are what results in a carbon negative carpet tile, which according to the company, is the first of its kind.

For its latest CQuest carpet backings, Interface has also added new bio-based materials, including a bio-composite that stores carbon in materials that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere. The overall result is a durable carpet tile that brings together sustainability, function, and style.

Stone

Moving onto materials, stone is an example of a material that is aesthetically pleasing but can be problematic in terms of sustainability, with the presence of silica threatening the health of those who fabricate and install stone products. One company who has sought to challenge this is Cosentino, with its Dekton Technical Ultracompact Stone.

According to Cosentino, the company offsets all CO2 emissions over the entire product life cycle, making Dekton the only cradle to grave carbon neutral and low silica surface on the market.

“The Dekton range is of great interest due to the low silica, the pathways for recyclability in Europe and the new life cycle available with recyclers in Australia to help create products such as road bitumen,” says Karie Soehardi, director at Circular Design Thinking and a Cosentino customer.

“I liked that the fabricator who created the tabletops documented the importance of OHS, as well as there only being 2 percent wastage from creating the tops. This was then able to be recycled through contacts the fabricator had.”

Other key features include the ability to resist scratches and impact, while also being low porosity and extremely resistant to water and stains. And according to Cosentino, the stone product is versatile and suited to applications both indoors and outdoors, even in the most demanding applications such as facades or floors in commercial spaces that are subject to high activity.

Timber

One of the most popular materials in sustainable design, timber boasts several benefits including durability, natural insulation properties, wellbeing properties, cost-effectiveness and much more. To top things off, it’s an attractive material that can be highly versatile for use in a wide range of design applications.

There are many options to choose from, but one option to note is the range from EGGER. For example, EGGER’s Eurodekor panels are a decorative board with a negative carbon footprint at -13.8kg CO2/sqm. The panels also have 65 percent recycled content, which can lower carbon emissions and reduce carbon intensity (a measure of pollutants per unit of activity) by 39-60 percent, depending on the product and application.

The company also produces GreenTec Flooring, which according to supplier ForestOne, is the only laminate flooring that has no PVC, VOCs, or plasticisers, enabling a low carbon footprint. As an added benefit, the flooring is made from 69 percent renewable content with 55 percent post-industrial recycled content.

A good example of these products in use is in the Hettich Showroom in Melbourne, which specifies the EGGER Eurodekor panels in Tobacco Pacific Walnut and the GreenTec Flooring in Chromix Silver. According to Tanvi Patel, carbon & ESD consultant from The Footprint Company, by specifying Eurodekor, the showroom was able to minimise the carbon emissions associated with the joinery/cabinetry to 17kg CO2e/sqm. This is compared to 27kg CO2e/sqm for MDF for timber veneer and 37.8kg CO2e/sqm for virgin hardwood with varnish.

The showroom also specified a direct stick of the GreenTec Laminate Flooring, which has carbon emissions of 53kg CO2e/sqm. This is nearly half the volume of carbon emitted by ceramic tiles (101kg CO2e/sqm), for example.

Beyond specific products, there are also companies like Rubner-Theca, which have an innovative partnership bringing together European timber manufacturing and Australian design expertise – creating an all-encompassing timber system to be used for structures, substituting concrete or steel wherever it is feasible to do so. This has been made possible with the advent of Glulam (glue laminated timber) and CLT (cross laminated timber), engineered wood products that have become increasingly popular due to their sustainability, strength, and durability, including in multi-storey buildings.

According to the companies, their timber elements, such as columns, beams, walls, and slabs come factory assembled with all connectors, requiring close to zero handling on site, allowing structures to be built quickly and easily. By doing things this way, it reduces installation time, equipment, and staff, making the erection of buildings cheaper, safer, and easier to manage.

Hettich Zephyr / ForestOne

Aluminium

When it comes to sustainable building materials, aluminium is a classic choice. Not only is it highly durable, but aluminium is 100 percent recyclable and can be reused again and again without degrading its inherent value. And according to The Aluminium Association, almost 75 percent of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today. Of course, the one clear issue is that aluminium is not a natural substance, which means it can be carbon-intensive to produce.

There are aluminium manufacturers and suppliers who are seeking to address this. For example, in June 2023, DECO Australia partnered with Capral Aluminium to supply lower carbon aluminium building products to the Australian market.

Capral Aluminium produces LocAl Green, a lower-carbon aluminium product that is sourced exclusively from Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified smelters.

“According to the company, it has significantly reduced carbon emissions than the global average for primary aluminium, at less than 8kg CO2e/kg Al.”

DECO Australia was the first manufacturer to make the switch to LocAl Green across their aluminium supply from Capral, which DECO believes will help save up to 4,400 tonnes of carbon annually. The company is using this responsibly sourced lower-carbon aluminium across its range of architectural building products, which spans from cladding and battens to decking systems and more.

DecoWood Brush Box finish on DecoPanel facade / DECO Australia

Specifically looking at cladding, it’s also worth noting that Mitsubishi produces a line called ALPOLIC (supplied by Network Architectural), which is fire-safe, compliant, aluminium composite cladding. It is composed of a non-combustible mineral core containing zero polyethylene, and has been successfully tested to Euroclass A1 13501-1, the most stringent component fire test in the world. To Mitsubishi’s knowledge, it is the only aluminium composite panel in the world that meets this standard.

One of the key benefits is its high durability, including a Lumiflon FEVE paint coating that is highly resistant to weathering, UV radiation, corrosion and colour fading. The panels also have strong rigidity, impact, and hail resistance, making them suited to a wide range of building applications. Importantly, the panels require less energy to produce than solid aluminium and save more energy through their insulating properties.

According to Mitsubishi, aluminium requires a substantial amount of energy to produce, but because ALPOLIC is more rigid than solid aluminium, it can serve the same function while requiring 300% less aluminium. The result is that it saves more than half the electricity needed to produce a solid aluminium panel of equivalent rigidity.

Post-installation, the sustainability benefits continue, as the panels’ thermal insulation properties help reduce the building’s energy consumption. This is because when the product is used for external or internal cladding, the air space between ALPOLIC and the backing wall forms a thermal insulation layer and increases the wall system’s energy conservation performance. In fact, compared to solid aluminium, it has more than 500 percent lower heat transfer, resulting in far less energy consumption.

Plasterboard and metal

Finally, if you’re searching for a sustainable supplier for plasterboard or metal products, it’s worth looking into Siniat Australia’s Opt2Act Carbon Neutral Program. Essentially, this means that for a large range of Siniat’s plasterboard and metal products, customers can opt-in for products that are certified by Climate Active as Carbon Neutral. This is especially useful if you need to reduce your building’s upfront carbon emissions to meet the requirements of the Positive category of Green Star ratings tools.

One good example of these products in use is in the Renzo Piano-designed One Sydney Harbour project, which is currently under construction in the Barangaroo precinct.

Upon its expected completion in 2024, the skyscraper complex will consist of three towers of 250m (72 floors), 235m (68 floors) and 107m (30 floors) tall, including a total of 849 apartments.

The developer, Lendlease, has chosen to use Siniat products to help meet its sustainability goals across all three towers. The project is currently on track to receive a 5 Star Green Star Design and As Built rating and will meet the requirements of the Building Sustainability Index (BASIX).

One Sydney Harbour / Siniat

Main Image: Marrickville Library / Rubner-Theca

SUPPLIERS

Network Architectural (Mitsubishi)

Rubner-Theca

Siniat

Verosol

Stephanie Stefanovic

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