Board update

I’m very pleased to announce that on Thursday 29 March our Board convened a special meeting to confirm in principle the renewal of the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre until the end of 2015.

I am also very pleased to announce and welcome our new partner the NSW State Government agency Roads and Maritime Services.

Growing Industry Research

It is with pleasure that I announce that we have extended our Centre’s core membership base. We now have engagement with four Western Australia Government agencies: the Department of Commerce (with the Building Commission); the Departments of Treasury (Office of Strategic Projects) and Finance (Building Management and Works); and Main Roads WA. These partnerships, combined with three in Queensland Government (Departments of Transport and Main Roads; Public Works; and Local Government and Planning), are reinforcing the value of collaboration in these developing resource rich states.

Collaborations and partnerships are key

Delivering energy efficiency through low and no cost initiatives.

The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering in partnership with the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Center held an update on optimising the sustainability of your property on Wednesday 28th September 2011.

National collaboration delivering for industry

The Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc), successor to the CRC for Construction Innovation, is providing continuity of support for the Australian built environment industry with our extensive national and international networks. The investment that the Australian Government, along with state governments, universities and industry, has made via the CRC program is paying rewarding dividends as we continue to collaborate to achieve valuable research outcomes for Australia.

The ongoing participation of our lead industry and government partners – Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales Governments; Parsons Brinckerhoff; John Holland; Queensland University of Technology (QUT); Curtin University; and Swinburne University of Technology – is invaluable in helping us achieve results in our industry-driven projects. These core members are complemented at the project level by a further 20 partners investing cash and in-kind support and strengthening our applied research focus.

AGIC (Australian Green Infrastructure Council) National Conference 2011

Our Brave New World where metrics drive sustainability

Don't miss out on the premier event of the year for anyone involved with sustainability in infrastructure design, construction and operation

Venue: InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto
Date: Friday 7 October 2011

Showing the Australian National Sustainability Rating created to drive sustainable outcomes, provide independent verification of performance and contribute to risk reduction in infrastructure delivery and operation.

Read all about the conference here: www.agicconference.com

The SBEnrc Annual Report for 2010 is now available to download at www.sbenrc.com.au/publications.

Year 2010 has marked a very significant and successful trans- formation for our Centre. After 12 months of formative efforts and critical commitments from our industry, government and research partners nationally, the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre (SBEnrc) is in business delivering valuable research outcomes. The leadership and reputation of the CRC for Construction Innovation has been effectively captured and strengthened in our new Centre. We have emerged in a stronger and more resilient form, able to engage in more proactive ways than previously. Throughout this transformation three issues have been paramount.

Two weeks ago the Australian Research Council released the results of Linkage Projects for the 2010 Round 2 for funding commencing in July 2011. We are very pleased to announce that the SBEnrc was awarded funding of $575,000 for two of our research projects:

• Project 1.8a Greening Procurement of Infrastructure Construction: Optimising Mass-Haul Operations to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Russell Kenley, Swinburne, $340,000
• Project 2.7a Leveraging R&D for the Australian Built Environment, Keith Hampson, QUT, $235,000

I’m very pleased to let you know that we are now back in the SBEnrc headquarters in Margaret Street, after an eventful seven weeks following the Brisbane floods. For those of you who are unaware, the basement of our building was flooded, which wiped out the building services for a few weeks. Thank you very much to QUT for coming to our rescue and providing us with temporary office space.

I write this from the SBEnrc’s temporary offices at QUT in Brisbane as, like so many Australians in recent weeks, we have been impacted by the floods that have inundated our country. Our inconveniences and losses are minor compared to those of so many. The SBEnrc Board and my team would like to offer our sincere wishes to all those who have been affected by the floods, here in Queensland as well as in NSW and Victoria.