here is a contradiction at the heart of our cities’ low carbon aspirations. We need to dramatically reduce the built environment’s greenhouse gas emissions – that much is beyond doubt. But at the same time, we are also building than ever before. Globally, new construction is equivalent to creating the entirety of Japan’s current floor area every year.In Australia, estimates project that 51 percent of the buildings standing in 2050 will have been completed since 2019 – that’s a doubling in just three decades.This growth, while generating societal and economic benefits, also has a vast environmental impact. The Australian construction industry is responsible for 18.1 percent of our national carbon footprint, or more than 90 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.3 Part of the problem is that our industry is incredibly linear. We build. We inhabit. We demolish. We build again. The carbon equation of this raze and rebuild is detrimental, and there is a growing consensus that we must find alternatives. An obvious option is to adapt, reuse, extend and reimagine the
