The Mayor's Column
The Mosman Climate Challenge, undertaken by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW in partnership with Mosman Council, has finished with a wrap up and awards presentation night. Over 400 people in Mosman care enough about the environment to have participated and are ready to tackle climate change in their own homes. Two Mosman Schools, namely Blessed Sacrament Primary School and Queenwood School for Girls, were Business Ambassadors for the Challenge.
The commitment of these people and the motivation to implement further ideas was inspiring, including a community garden and an environmental centre. The keynote speaker of the night was Dick Clarke, principal architect with Envirotecture, who focuses on ecologically sustainable buildings.
As part of Council’s planning regulation review last year, a number of architects were invited to give presentations to Mosman councillors and planning staff. They recognised the importance of sustainability, using design, orientation and building materials to take advantage of natural temperature control and ventilation.
Architects around the world are acknowledging the inevitability of climate change and designing accordingly. Some ancient wisdoms are revived such as the four thousand-year old temperature control devices used in the renowned CH2, Melbourne’s Council building.
These are healthy buildings, free from the dangers associated with locked up air-conditioned buildings and 100% more amenable to human health, contentment and productivity.
There are new technologies, with improvements in photovoltaic cells and building materials, lighting and water conservation and re-use.
There are lateral thinking solutions, though they may not be modern, such as buildings with “green skins”, coverings of vegetation and lush gardens along the principles of the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Let us hope that the NSW Minister for Planning’s laws, passed through the Upper House by one vote last week, do not result in a crop of very ordinary buildings, meeting the criteria of a set formula, with little or no consideration of a neighbour’s sustainable housing principles, particularly orientation to catch air and sunlight. Too bad if the “exempt and complying” development next-door or adjacent renders them useless.
Cr Denise Wilton, Mayor of Mosman
