The Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour sd+b
About the Centre: Sustainable Design sd+b Publications 2010 The Principles of Green Urbanism. Transforming the City for Sustainability, Earthscan, London, 910 pages; authored by Steffen Lehmann. Since 2006 Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly academic Journal of Green Building, Virginia The sd+b Centre is a universityrecognised research centre and a multidisciplinary innovation cluster with interest and expertise in a wide range of environmental, urban and sustainability issues. The Centre develops international research expertise for intelligent, holistic solutions and improved decision making in environmental sustainability. The sd+b Centre facilitates collaborative and cross-disciplinary research across the University of South Australia, industry and government. Scholarly book series on sustainable design for Routledge 2012 Designing for Zero Waste. Consumption, Technologies and the Built Environment, Routledge, Oxford, 418 pages; edited by Steffen Lehmann and Robert Crocker. 2013 Motivating Change. Values, Behaviour and Sustainable Design, to be launched Jan. 2013; edited by Robert Crocker and Steffen Lehmann. 2013 Low Carbon Cities. Transforming Urban Systems, to be launched in 2013; edited by Steffen Lehmann. Aims and Missions: Excellence with Relevance Our centre promotes UniSA s commitment to education by creating and disseminating knowledge, engaging with communities to address the major issues of our time, and developing multidisciplinary research. Our high calibre research and training facilitates debate on issues of national and international importance helping to create sustainable and just societies. We also provide a forum to explore and evaluate complex social issues and build a research culture in which postgraduate students, early career researchers and more established researchers can thrive.
Steffen Lehmann: Inspiring Design Professor Steffen Lehamann, Dr-Ing, AADip, is a German-Australian architect, author and urbanist, Professor of Sustainable Design at the University of South Australia and the inaugural Director of the sd+b Centre. He has held positions in Australian universities as well as visiting professorial positions at leading universities worldwide (Berlin, Singapore, Munich, Shanghai, Berkeley). Steffen has presented his research and creative work at more than 400 conferences in 32 different countries, frequently as a keynote speaker, and has published 14 books and numerous academic papers. In recognition of the international significance of Steffens work, he has held the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Urban Development for Asia and the Pacific since 2008. He has won design awards for his involvement in the architectural creation of the New Berlin in the 1990s. Steffen provides high-level independent advice to governments, municipalities and industry worldwide. Key Research Priorities The sd+b Centre is one of the University of South Australia s leading research units for resource efficient architectural and urban design and has forged research alliances across different Divisions and Schools and with government and industry partners. Our key research priority areas are application oriented and include: Engaging communities Infrastructure Buildings and materials Cities and green urbanism.
PhD Research and Supervision Since 2003, Professor Steffen Lehmann has successfully supervised or co-supervised PhD students and Masters students, has been an External Examiner of PhD research and is accredited as a registered PhD supervisor for Principal Supervision. His former postgraduate students now work in universities, research institutes and leading positions in organisations and companies worldwide. We invite inquiries from prospective students to conduct research in our priority research fields. Our current PhD research projects, funded by the Australian Research Council and industry partners, include: Gabriele B Fitzgerald Pro-environmental behaviours across community, home and work. Atiq U. Zaman The metabolism of the city: Transformation into a zero waste city. Christopher Thornton Sustainability and consumption as problems of narrative discourse in visual communications design Ehsan Sharifi Public space and urban heat island effect. Mitigation and adaptation strategies in three selected cities: Dubai, London and Sydney. Mabel John A comparative analysis of existing and emerging public space networks in the Asia Pacific: City case studies. John Devlin Smart cities: Facilitating connectivity between urban systems.
unisa.edu.au/sustainable-design
Research Programs and Projects The sd+b Centre focuses its work in four key research programs and research projects (work packages), which reflect the challenges we face. These programs are interacting and influencing each other. The integrated research areas operate at different scales and ensure the participation of industry and government partners. PROGRAM 1 Engaged Communities: Transition Scenarios for Social Sustainability, Consumption and Behaviour Zeroing in on food waste Work, life and sustainable living: proenvironmental behaviours across community, home and workplace Urban infill: addressing the cultural barriers and social acceptance of CLT multi-storey apartment living Sustainability and consumption as problems of narrative discourse in visual communication design. PROGRAM 2 - Infrastructure: Energy, Water, Transport, Waste, Productive Landscapes Infrastructure: renewable energy supply systems and services Mathematical modelling and design of permeable pavements Public space and urban micro-climates: mitigation and adaptation strategies for UHI effect in three selected cities Low carbon precincts: integrated ETWW (energy, transport, waste and water) demand forecasting and scenario planning for precincts. PROGRAM 3 - Buildings: Materials Flow and Low Carbon Construction Innovation Re-considering sustainable built environment and design: a cultural change approach Urban infill development using low carbon timber construction for modular prefabrication Sustainable design: strategies for green buildings and products Building envelopes: climate-adapted lowenergy facade systems. PROGRAM 4 - Cities & Green Urbanism: Retrofitting, Transforming Urban Form Zero emissions and Zero Waste City: the metabolism of cities Low carbon living: energy and material efficient use and operation Comparative analysis of existing and emerging public space networks in the Asia-Pacific: urban waterfront in Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore Smart Cities: facilitating increased connectivity between urban systems for community-based provision of basic needs.
Research programs unisa.edu.au/sustainable-design CRICOS Provider no 00121B Information correct at time of printing, June 2012.