The aim of the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre is to research, collaborate, and link with industry to meet the challenge of improving the performance of our new and existing building stock focused on making buildings more livable, more sustainable, more cost-effective and kinder to our environment.
Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
A holistic approach to sustainable buildings
Buildings have major economic, environmental and social impacts on our community and the planet. Between a quarter and a half of all greenhouse emissions result from our use of buildings.
Our vision
The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) is a multi-disciplinary facility that aims to be a leader in ideas and solutions that address the challenge of transforming our buildings and built environment into sustainable, resilient and effective places in which people live and work.
Our mission
Our mission is to lead an evidence-based conversation with a broad and deep network of change agents through research, education, demonstration and advice.
The SBRC brings together researchers, students and industry to:
- Develop, prototype and test sustainable building technologies and designs for residential and commercial applications
- Perform in-depth experimental and theoretical analysis of the thermal design of buildings
- Develop architectural and structural design tools to facilitate the inclusion of ecological costing throughout the design phase of buildings (e.g. water, embodied energy, carbon)
- Investigate day-to-day behaviour of building occupants to improve our effectiveness of building use and design and improve the uptake of environmentally sustainable technologies
- Develop novel control systems and sensor technology for improving building performance
- Develop novel modelling tools to aid sustainable design
Awards
-
Green Gown International 2020: Highly Commended for Student Engagement
-
UOW VC Awards 2020: Workplace Health & Safety Award (Clayton McDowell)
-
Australian Engineering Excellence Award NSW 2020 (AEEA)
-
Team UOW: Australian Institute of Building NSW Professional Excellence Award for Residential Construction Under $1 Million, Australian Institute of Building
-
Solar Decathlon: Silver medal for the overall competition, first in Innovation, Comfort Conditions, and Interior Design, second in Energy Efficiency, Building Integrated Photovoltaics, and Creative Solutions, and third in Sustainability, and House Functioning
-
NSW Green Globes 2019:
o Regional Sustainability award
o Built Environment award
-
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) 2019:
o Excellence in HVAC&R Research award
o Student of the Year Higher Education or Research awards for 2018 (Clayton McDowell)
o Student of the Year Higher Education or Research awards for 2019 (Brendan Banfield)
-
Australian Institute of Building (AIB) 2019:
o Building Professional of the Year award (Clayton McDowell)
o National Professional Excellence Award for Residential Construction under $1 million (Clayton McDowell)
o NSW Professional Excellence Award for Residential Construction under $1 million (Clayton McDowell)
-
Green Gown Australasia 2019: Award for Student Engagement
-
ACTS 2019: Award of Excellence Student (Clayton McDowell)
-
SafeWork NSW 2019: Highly Commended for Leadership in workplace health and safety culture large business
- Massimo Fiorentini: Future Leader, AIRAH 2018
- Clayton McDowell: Student of the Year – Higher Education and Research, AIRAH 2018
- Team UOW Australia-Dubai: Second Place Overall Winner, Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018
- Federico Tartarini: Student of the Year – Higher Education and Research, AIRAH 2017
Interest: Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
- Vice-chancellor's Interdisciplinary Research Excellence Award Highly Commended, University of Wollongong
- Best presentation by an AAG member at the 15th national conference of emerging researchers in ageing, Australian National University
Interest: Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
- NSW Australian Institute of Architects Awards ‘Sustainable Architecture’ category, Australian Institute of Architects (Submitted by: SBRC & Cox)
- Green Building Council, Educational Building - 6 Star Green Star, Green Building Council
Interest: Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
- 2013 International Winner for Student Initiative, UOW, Green Gown International
- Excellence in Property Opteon Property Group Award, awarded to Team UOW for the Illawarra Flame House, Australian Property Institute NSW
- Presidents Award, Team UOW 'Illawarra Flame' Solar Decathlon Home, Sydney Engineering Excellence Awards
Interest: Sustainable Buildings Research Centre
- Helen Barlett Prize for Innovation in Ageing Research, Excellence in Research for Australia
Interest: Solar Decathlon
- 2013 Winner for Student Initiative, UOW, Green Gown Australia
- AIRAH Student of the Year, AIRAH
- Denis Joseph Award for Innovative Use of Solar Energy in HVAC&R, Team UOW/BlueScope - Solar Assisted HVAC System, SBRC, UOW, AIRAH
- Wollongong Lord Mayors Special Award, Team UOW Solar Decathlon China 2013, Wollongong City Council Australia Day Awards
- First Place Overall Winner, Solar Decathlon China 2013
