Learning. Engaging. Knowing. Our Acumen notes continue to provide knowledge and engagement to all levels of the profession, from students to experienced practitioners. In this update, view some of our recently updated notes covering topics such as security of payment, insurance and specialist consultants and a new Environment note on embodied carbon in buildings.
If you have missed an update via e-news or social media, recent new and significantly updated content can be found via the Acumen home page where you can also view our most popular notes. We welcome your feedback.
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Environment Advisory Group (EAG) news
We welcome new EAG members Shanica Saenrak Hall, Tanya Grobbelaar and Vanessa Whittem who bring a mix of practice, industry and academic experience. We acknowledge the contribution, passion and insight of our outgoing EAG members John Gelder, Noy Hildebrand and Patrick Denell who continue in an advisory capacity, having each served a three-year term.
New notepack
This notepack forms part of a series of student-related notepacks curated by the Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA), and provides relevant information related to the 2023 Super Studio Design Competition. The themes of the brief in 2023 include social and environmental resilience, adaptive reuse and resilience. Participants of Super Studio will be asked to speculate on design interventions that bridge the gaps between individuals and promote social cohesion.
Updated notes
Acumen notes are regularly reviewed and updated. The following updated notes include new/revised material or resources:
- Cost-plus contracts: Considerations
- Damages
- Insurances
- Particular persons
- Security of payment (SOP)
- Specialist consultants – selection
Environment update
New Environment note:
The following notes have been provided with summary updates to reflect changes introduced in the National Construction Code 2022 for their respective topics:
- An overview of energy, climate and resource considerations for residential appliances and equipment
- Cutting lifetime residential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Site planning and design for bushfire
Navigating the Acumen Practice Notes
Did you know you can see all Acumen notes in the one place, by navigating to the Topic index? Click ‘View Topic Index’ under the main search bar, which will take you to a list of all Acumen notes:
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You can also access the A-Z Index, under the Help and Information heading, at the bottom of each Acumen page:
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View these introductory videos for more information on how to navigate the Acumen Practice Notes.