Compiled by the SA Chapter Regen Committee, this page aims to be a starting point for anyone interested in regenerative design and the built environment. Where sustainability simply aims to minimise harm, regenerative design goes beyond this, actively doing good for people, place and planet. Discover useful resources, tools, and organisations.
Discover the underlying principles and defining frameworks for regenerative design.
Explore the work being done to reconsider our way of life, our economy, and more.
Tools to assist you on your regenerative journey, from design to specification.
Find practical tools to bring regenerative design to life.
Learn more about what it means to design with and for Country.
See what Continual Professional Development (CPD) courses are available on regenerative design and sustainability.
Read more about the Institute’s position on carbon neutrality and what climate action we’re taking.
Acumen is a member benefit which provides an extensive collection of architectural practice advisory and guidance notes. See the notes on regenerative design approaches.
A framework for creating regenerative buildings
Turning commitment into action
10 principles for living sustainably
Moving from efficiency to a whole systems-based approach. By Bill Reed
Circular economy think tank
A way of (re)thinking about our economic mindset
Approaches for working with nature
Addressing the intersection of health, education, equality, economic growth, and climate action
Applying circular economy principles to real estate projects
Programs analysing windows, glazing, heat transfer etc.
A “quick start” guide to biomimicry
Evaluating the environmental performance of neighborhoods and cities
Centralised sustainability data to help manufacturers and specifiers find and compare building materials.
Database of product ingredients, life expectancy, end-of-life options etc.
Independently verified and registered data about products
Life cycle inventory of environmental flow coefficients for construction materials
Climate responsive design software
Graphic-based program to help architects understand local climate
Weather data for 83 Australian locations for 3 future climate scenarios
Integrated water management and stormwater assessment tool for use on small-scale development sites in South Australia
“Australian Architects Declare is part of an international network of architectural practices committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency.”
“[Biomimicry is] on a mission to help solve humanity’s biggest challenges through the adoption of biomimicry (nature-inspired innovation) in education, culture, and industry.”
“BAMB is creating ways to increase the value of building materials. Dynamically and flexibly designed buildings can be incorporated into a circular economy – where materials in buildings sustain their value.”
“Climate Council is Australia’s own independent, evidence-based organisation on climate science, impacts and solutions.”
“From 2012-2019 the CRC for Low Carbon Living was Australia’s leading research and innovation hub dedicated to driving the nation’s built environment sector towards a globally competitive low carbon future.”
“The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.”
“Materials & Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance (MECLA) brings together the drive to reduce embodied carbon in the building and construction industry.”
“Regenesis is a world leader in the field of regenerative development—an approach to land use, community development, and the built environment that has defined the leading edge of sustainability practice for more than two decades.”
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.”
“In this salon-style yarn, Sarah Lynn Rees and Danièle Hromek discuss their experiences, concerns, challenges and loves when it comes to bringing culture, community, kin and Country into the centre of the architecture and design process.”
“Connecting with Country Draft Framework is a framework for developing connections with Country that can inform the planning, design, and delivery of built environment projects in NSW.”
“Songlines are an archive for powerful knowledges that ensured Australia’s many Indigenous cultures flourished for over 60,000 years. Much more than a navigational path in the cartographic sense, these vast and robust stores of information are encoded through song, story, dance, art and ceremony, rather than simply recorded in writing.”
“Aboriginal design is of a distinctly cultural nature, based in the Dreaming and in ancient practices grounded in Country. It is visible in the aerodynamic boomerang, the ingenious design of fish traps and the precise layouts of community settlements that strengthen social cohesion.”
The fundamentals that underpin BIM and Sustainability will be explored by highlighting when and why environmental analysis should be undertaken and what tools are available within BIM software packages. This seminar will explain what each analysis is, how it works and why it’s important. It will also explore non-BIM tools and other considerations beyond BIM that designers should be mindful of when creating truly sustainable designs.
This session is suitable for both the novice and expert in BIM and similarly so in sustainability.
This seminar highlights some of the fundamental concepts that underpin biophilic design, and introduces designers to some basic principles and tools that can help develop relevant capabilities within practices to create environments that truly connect people to nature. The seminar will explore “what is” and “what is not” biophilic design to assist in removing ambiguity in this area and provide tangible principles, and also explore case studies that have successfully integrated aspects of biophilic design to assist readers in visualising and recognising truly biophilic environments.
Aesthetics, technicalities, collaboration and fundamentals of Passive House design. This event will explain the essentials of Passive House design and how aesthetics are integrated into the design. It will discuss a range of typologies and dissect the design processes and challenges from each of the building types.
The focus will be on educational, high rise and commercial projects, not residential. Finally, this session will address the technicalities that come with Passive House design and outline what a successful project looks like.
This CPD session showcases current research from the University of Wellington, University of Western Australia and Deakin University will discuss a variety of issues related to sustainability and research.
The world faces an urgent challenge in creating a living future that is “culturally rich, socially just and ecologically restorative”. How can we ensure good standards of living for all, while having a positive rather than a negative impact on the world? The architectural profession can have a crucial role in this opportunity, with good, smart housing a great place to start. Caroline Pidcock will address the leading approaches to zero-emission housing around the world and how this could affect Australian directions in the future.
This seminar will also explore how integrated design teams and responses are integral to achieving these goals.
The ZERO Carbon Design series has been developed by Ross Donaldson to help accelerate the capacity for meeting the enormous challenges brought about by climate change. To meet the critical challenge for a zero-carbon economy, it is increasingly accepted that the target for a zero-carbon construction industry must be 2030. Given a great number of buildings can take upwards of five years from inception to completion, this means we must all be ready to design to zero carbon parameters by 2025.
With nearly 40 percent of the world’s pollution generated by construction it’s undeniable that the industry has a significant impact on the planet.
This is exacerbated by inefficient production processes, considerable displacement of supplies, and excessive waste during various other stages of construction. At the end of this presentation you should be able to:
1. Examine microrecycling science and zero waste
2. Discuss the challenges & benefits that underpins the issues relating to zero waste
3. Understand how through good design strategies, technology and materials can provide sustainable solutions
4. Prepare design lessons by developing a product from concept to reality
5. Explore through case studies methods to bring your client along the journey to better environmental outcomes
Have suggestions for additional resources or want to know more about the SA Regen Committee?
For further information, contact our SA Chapter Team:
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
