Sustainable Urban Design and
Energy-efficient Buildings

Professor Steffen Lehmann

Chair of Architectural Design, at The University of Newcastle,
Director of the s_Lab Space Laboratory for architectural Research and Design.

 

Steffen is lecturing worldwide and writing about energy-efficient buildings and green urbanism since the early 1990s.

Development of greater awareness of the need for sustainability in architecture and urban design

Steffen is a member of different committees related to environmentally sustainable design, and has written and spoken on this subject in numerous conferences and universities worldwide. He is Editor of the 'Journal of Green Building'.

 

From: "Connecting Research & Community", Spring 2006

 

Working areas

 

Buildings are the biggest energy consumers, consuming almost 50 per cent of all energy. Therefore, architecture must and can make a contribution towards improving the environment.

• Consultant on renewable energy systems (RES), including Solar Architecture, the integration of transport and waste management, new technologies, and the use of passive thermal design to improve comfort.
• Consultancy on sustainability projects.
• Member of official delegations and research committees in Europe, China, Latin America, UK and Australia.
• Advisor on sustainable urban design to government and city councils.
• Member of international scientific steering committees of EU and ARC-funded research projects.
• Organiser of conferences, seminars, and workshops, with a focus on: 'Sustainable strategies in urban design'; 'SolarCity'; 'Sustainability in the developing World'.

 

Areas of Sustainability Research and Research Focus

• Improvement of the existing building stock, and how to transform inefficient structures into 'green' buildings, using passive and renwable energy technologies.
• The sustainable City of the Future: urban development strategies and a cohesive understanding of new urban design principles for energy-efficient cities.
• Renewable Energy Research
• Theory and methodology of environmentally sustainable architectural design, incl. tall buildings and large structures.
• Urban regeneration and environmentally-driven urban renewal strategies, with a focus on applied environmental sustainability to improve the city's and building's performance, identify the appropriate densities, public spaces, and integrate public transport.
• Low energy architecture, with special interest in mixed-mode / natural ventilation systems, solar cooling, and passive solar buildings. This includes: Energy-efficient building envelopes, incl. double-skin facade technology and retro-fitting strategies.
• Climatic responsive design for buildings in the tropics / subtropics.
• Co-Editor of the 'Journal of Green Building'

  

Research Projects (selection):

• Sustainable Urban Design: Taree Riverfront master plan, NSW
  
  The project aim is to reconnect Taree's CBD to the Manning River and the staged development of a 20 hectares waterfront site to a contemporary mixed-use precinct using renewable energy sources. $200mill. 2007-2011
  
  Project Partners:
  Greater Taree City Council, Arup Engineering, Suters Architects, McGregor & partners;
  
  As well as the various developers and land owners in the precinct.

• Assessment Tools for Sustainable Urban Growth in Regional Communities: Climate Regions Hunter Valley and Manning Valley (NSW)
  
  The project aim is to develop a regional ‘assessment toolkit’ to better manage sustainable growth of existing cities in the Hunter and Manning regions. 2007-2011
  
  Project Partners:
  Hunter Councils, Arup Engineering, Suters Architects, as well as 5 city councils: Newcastle City Council, Maitland Council, Port Stephens Council, Lake Macquarie City Council, and Greater Taree City Council.

• Solar Air Conditioning for inner-city housing project, NSW
  
  The project aim is to design, build and monitor the performance of a demonstration project which utilises innovative technology for solar-driven cooling.
  
  Project Partners:
  DEUS Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability (NSW Government); NSW-based Developer; NSW-based architectural practice; Industry Partners in Germany and Australia; Newcastle City Council.

• Newcastle: A Sustainable City Centre Plan with a 'Green City Campus'
  
  The focus of this project is to develop an overall sustainable urban strategy ('vision 2020'), with a Development Control Plan (DCP) for Newcastle city centre, to facilitate urban renewal and planning guidelines for an educational precinct 'City Campus'. Ongoing - 2008
  
  Project Partners:
  NSW Government, Minister of Planning; General Director of Planning Department NSW Government; Newcastle City Council; Reference Panel for City Centre Plan; The University of Newcastle, The Chancellery; NSW-based engineering firms; Learning Futures.  
  
  

• 5 new towns in the Lower Hunter: Consultancy for Rio Tinto
  
  The aim of this project is to develop and identify principles of sustainable urban design for the construction of 5 new townships in the Lower Hunter region. Ongoing - 2009.
  
  Project Partners:
  Coal & Allied (Rio Tinto), Australia ; City Councils Lake Macquarie, Cessnock, Maitland. Allan Jack & Cottier.

• 'PortCity' City Centre expansion along the waterfront, Newcastle
  
  This project develops the 'PortCity Vision 2015' to integrate the port land at Dyke Point and the Inner Harbour area as expansion zone of Newcastle's CBD. Ongoing - 2009.
  
  Project Partner:
  Newcastle Port Corporation.

Funding

Since 2003, s_Lab attracted over $1.2 million in consultancy and research funding, in collaboration with other researchers and teams.

 

Concepts to reduce our car dependency are needed.	Student model of solar facade: energy-efficient buildings for a subtropical climate.