COMPREHENSIVENESS:
A comprehensive sustainability framework covers a myriad of individual facets that in unison has a larger impact. To analyze the comprehensiveness of the two sustainability frameworks, five major aspects, namely environmental, social, economic, cultural and governance are taken into consideration.
CENTRAL PARK, SYDNEY:
Environmental aspect:
“Australia’s greenest urban village”, Central Park chiefly addresses the environmental aspect of sustainability with a major focus on energy and water (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). The tri-generation energy plant operates on natural gas to produce low carbon thermal energy as well as electricity; significantly minimizing greenhouse gas emissions addressing energy efficiency (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). On the other hand, Central Park Water functions as a system catering to the water cycle delivery and management (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). The recycled water utility system incorporates treatment of sewage, rain and storm water to supply non-potable water, whereas, potable water is achieved via the public water main (Centralparksydney.com, 2017; Financial Review, 2017; Network.wsp-pb.com, 2017). Through a natural approach, Central Park emphasizes resource efficiency to address water scarcity and reduce carbon emissions (Network.wsp-pb.com, 2017).
Economic aspect:
Central Park integrates an affordable and economically viable sustainability framework for its occupants. As a result of the recycled water network, there is a reduction in the use of drinking water by 40-50%, minimizing the expenses of residents at the same time (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). Moreover, the tri-generation plant supplies energy for heating and cooling- hot water supply and air-conditioning, hence minimizing electricity costs (Financial Review, 2017). The power plant is a part of long-term funding by a $26.5 million Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA) for green infrastructure (Centralparksydney.com, 2017).
Social aspect:
The high density living across 2200 apartments in Central Park led to the consideration of harmony and community sustainability (Financial Review, 2017). Community consultation sessions were carried out in 2007- 2008 to understand the necessities and perspectives of the local community comprising of residents, employees and owners of businesses, and stakeholders of planning and infrastructure, such that it could be integrated into the final design of Central Park (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). Therefore, the sustainability framework encompasses social aspects of sustainability i.e. communal living.
Cultural Aspect:
The sustainability strategy of Central Park incorporates a concentration on the heritage and cultural aspects of the site and the locality as a whole. Located in the heritage suburb Chippendale, which is “a mecca for art, design and culture”, Central Park began as an urban-renewal project of the Carlton United Brewery site with its history dating back to 1835 (Centralparksydney.com, 2017; Financial Review, 2017). As an attempt to retain the cultural value, urban conservation experts came together ranging from archaeologists, heritage consultants to architects (Tzannes Associates, Sydney; Centralparksydney.com, 2017). Revitalization of the buildings such as the flagship Brewery Yard building, pubs and warehouses to semi-public venues housing historical artifacts is one of the attempts at preserving the cultural value of the site (Centralparksydney.com, 2017).
Governance:
The sustainability framework of Central Park was formulated with the participation of green living expert- the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney and Elton Consulting (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). Moreover, Central Park emerged as a collaborative project involving a close integration between disparate ownership and stakeholders such as the developers (Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House Australia), NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure and the residents/ tenants of the mixed-use facility (Network.wsp-pb.com, 2017).
RIVERSIDE ONE, MIDDLESBROUGH:
Riverside One was developed with the concept of enabling sustainable lifestyles of the community residents; hence integrating One Planet Living principles (Riversideone.info, 2017). Each of these 10 sustainable principles are closely linked with environmental and economic aspect- zero carbon, zero waste, sustainable materials, sustainable transport, sustainable water, local and sustainable food, land use and wildlife, equity and local economy, social and cultural aspect- health and happiness, and culture and community (Bioregional, 2017). Hence, the management of facilities, provision of amenities, overall design, materials used and construction practices adopted correspond to the principles of One Planet Living (Thomson and El-Haram, 2011).
Environmental aspect:
Also known as Community in a Cube (CIAC), Riverside One was developed as a zero-carbon mixed-use development (Good Homes Alliance, 2014). Extensively considering the environmental aspect of sustainability, Riverside One encompasses a wide range of measures conforming to highest environmental standards (Rose, 2012). The variation of sustainable building materials includes 400mm-thick exterior walls enclosing wood fiber insulation, roof tiles of recycled car dashboards, concrete made from recycled hardcore aggregate and recycled oil pipelines for foundation piles (Parnell, 2012). Along with achieving high thermal performance through the building fabric, a biomass boiler operating on wood chip entirely caters to internal heating and provision of hot water; hence “exceeding an Eco Homes Excellent rating” (Frearson, 2013). Other environmental initiatives include power points for electric cars and planter boxes placed in the public spaces to address local and sustainable food (Sean Griffiths Output 4: Riverside One, Middlesbrough, 2011, n.d). However, other environmental conscious principles of One Planet Living such as locally sourced materials and rainwater harvesting remain absent in the project (Wainwright, 2012).
Economic aspect:
One of the reasons Riverside One came to life was because of the high unemployment rate; the concept revolved on stimulating economic activity and providing jobs in the mixed-use facility itself (Thomson and El-Haram, 2011). Similarly, local contractors were appointed for the construction (Sean Griffiths Output 4: Riverside One, Middlesbrough, 2011, n.d). Sustainable measures such as high ceilings to promote natural ventilation, high thermal insulation, biomass boiler for heating and hot water collectively is an economic benefit to the residents (Sean Griffiths Output 4: Riverside One, Middlesbrough, 2011, n.d). However, economic sustainability is not extensively covered in the framework.
Social/ Cultural aspect:
“CIAC is clearly a development of the Brutalist idea of housing a whole community in a single building” (Parnell, 2012). Incorporating an 82-unit apartment scheme placed above a restaurant and commercial space, the idea was to deliver “a mix of unit types and occupiers within a volume” (Sean Griffiths Output 4: Riverside One, Middlesbrough, 2011, n.d.; Parnell, 2012). Riverside One has addressed both the social and cultural aspects of sustainability into a single topic- culture and community; hence considering these factors of sustainability, community interaction has been stressed upon. The inclusion of courtyards, community garden, shared amenities such as cycle storage and parking spaces, and interactive circulation routes to link the public spaces vertically (Frearson, 2013; Good Homes Alliance, 2014).
Governance:
A sustainable housing project, Community in a Cube (CIAC), Riverside One is a joint venture of developers- BioRegional and Quintain (Frearson, 2013). However, the partnership between the two companies terminated after the completion of Community in a Cube, primarily due to the recession and a need to focus on their individual businesses.
Comparison of Comprehensiveness:
Comparing the two sustainability frameworks in terms of widespread coverage of aspects in a specific manner, Central Park was more comprehensive than Riverside One. Considering that each factor go hand in hand, all five aspects of sustainability have been equally emphasized upon to deliver a comprehensive framework in Central Park. On the other hand, Riverside One predominantly focused on the environmental aspect and slightly on the economic and community (social/cultural) aspects based on the ten principles of One Planet Living. However, there was not a clear distinction between social and cultural aspects, while governance was not addressed appropriately.
RESILIENCE:
Addressing resilience in a sustainability framework allows the project to remain intact and efficient through the changes in circumstances in time. Resilience approaches can be categorized into economic and environmental measures that increase self- sufficiency of the project during its functional life cycle.
Central Park:
The two major sustainable measures in Central Park cumulatively correspond to resilience of the project. The energy efficiency of the low carbon tri-generation energy plant is double than that of a coal-fired power plant (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). This resonates to environmental resilience as it could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 190,000 tonnes over its 25-year design life (Centralparksydney.com, 2017). Along with providing affordable energy, the reduction in reliance on the local electrical grid is a form of self- sufficiency and economic resilience (Network.wsp-pb.com, 2017). On the other hand, the recycled water network is an efficient system of potable and non-potable water utilization, both adding to economic and environmental resilience. A reliable and sustainable source of water is delivered to the occupants through the combined system of treatment plant and Sydney water mains (Network.wsp-pb.com, 2017).
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