The Environmental Brief: Pathways For Green Design

The built environment is responsible for an estimated forty-five per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. As the greatest opportunities for reducing these emissions occur during the briefing and design processes, the pathway to better design lies in preparing environmental briefs, and using these to drive building design and produce buildings of high environmental performance. This process-driven book looks at the theoretical issues involved in an environmental brief, and outlines methods by which architects can approach the writing of a brief that considers all aspects of the natural and the built environment, and relates these concepts to a number of case studies from around the world.

The built environment is responsible for an estimated forty-five per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. As the greatest opportunities for reducing these emissions occur during the briefing and design processes, the pathway to better design lies in preparing environmental briefs, and using these to drive building design and produce buildings of high environmental performance. This process-driven book looks at the theoretical issues involved in an environmental brief, and outlines methods by which architects can approach the writing of a brief that considers all aspects of the natural and the built environment, and relates these concepts to a number of case studies from around the world.

Richard Hyde is an Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Design at the University of Queensland, Australia. He is a practising architect and teaches interdisciplinary courses in the field of sustainable design.

Steve Watson is a Research Scholar at the Centre for Sustainable Design at the University of Queensland. He is an Environmental Consultant for TVS Partnership in Brisbane, Australia.

Wendy Cheshire is Director of Hamilton Hayes Henderson Architects, Southport, Queensland, Australia.

Mark Thomson is Director of TVS Partnership, Brisbane, and is an active board member of the Centre for Sustainable Design, The University of Queensland, Australia.