ESD design guide for Australian Government buildings: Edition 2

glossary
glossary
A
ABGR
ABGR is the universally accepted
benchmarking tool for energy
consumption of commercial buildings in
Australia, and it has been incorporated
in other rating systems to ensure a
consistent approach from industry to this
important issue. (DEUS, 2005).
Adaptive Comfort
Adds Human behaviour to the comfort
analysis. It assumes that, if changes
occur in the thermal environment to
produce discomfort, then people will
generally change their behaviour and act
in a way that will restore their comfort.
Such actions could include taking off
clothing, reducing activity levels or even
opening a window. The main effect of
such models is to increase the range of
conditions that designers can consider
as comfortable, especially in naturally
ventilated buildings where the occupants
have a greater degree of control over
their thermal environment. (Andrew Marsh
Square one - http://www.squ1.com).
Adhesives
A substance capable of holding materials
together by surface attachment.
Adhesives are one source of off-gassing in
indoor environments. (Property Council of
Australia, Sustainable Development Guide,
2001).
AGO
Australian Greenhouse Office, now part of
the Australian Government’s Department
of the Environment and Heritage.
Air quality
To do with the level of particulate, gases,
vapours, pollens and micro-organisms
in the air. (Property Council of Australia,
Sustainable Development Guide, 2001).
Alliance partnerships
A long-term commercial partnering
arrangement that enhances project
team innovation and avoids the cost of
tendering for team formation on every
new project. This can assist integrated
delivery of sustainable design objectives.
(Property Council of Australia, Sustainable
Development Guide, 2001).
Aquifer
A geological formation that will yield water
to a well in sufficient quantities to make
the production of water from this formation
feasible for beneficial use; permeable
layers of underground rock or sand that
hold or transmit groundwater below the
water table. (Property Council of Australia,
Sustainable Development Guide, 2001).
B
Base Building Brief
Working document which specifies at
any point in time the relevant needs and
aims, resources of the client and user, the
context of the project and any appropriate
design requirements within which all
subsequent briefing (when needed) and
designing can take place. (Adapted from
definition of brief in ISO 9699).
BDP
Australian Council of Building Design
Professionals – BPD has published
a multi-volume Environment Design
Guide containing literature on how to
reduce environmental impact of the built
environment. (Melbourne Docklands ESD
Guide, Oct 2002).
BCA
Building Code of Australia.
Biodegradable
A material capable of being decomposed
by bacteria or other living organisms as
a result of the action of micro-organisms.
(Property Council of Australia, Sustainable
Development Guide, 2001).
Biodiversity
The variety of all life forms; the different
plants, animals and micro-organisms, the
genes they contain and the ecosystems
they form. (Property Council of Australia,
Sustainable Development Guide, 2001).
Brownfield Site
Land within an urban area on which
development has previously taken place.
(Corus Construction Centre glossary,
http://www.corusconstruction.com/page_
9041.htm).
Building monitoring systems or
Building Management System (BMS)
Also referred to at times as the Building
Management System. A Building
Management System includes more of
the systems and plans for review and
improvement while the Building Monitoring
System is a computerised system that
monitors the engineering services, security
and other building systems for the purpose
of recording, reporting and operational
control of the systems to maximize safety,
security, operational performance and for
overall cost minimization and efficiency.
(Property Council of Australia, Sustainable
Development Guide, 2001).
C
Carbon credit
A term that refers to three types of units of
greenhouse gas reductions defined under
the Kyoto Protocol:
• emissions reduction units are
generated via joint implementation
under Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol,
• certified emission reduction units are
generated and certified under the
provisions of Article 12 of the Kyoto
Protocol, the Clean Development
Mechanism, and
• verified emission reductions are
verified reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions below a pre-determined
baseline.
(Property Council of Australia, Sustainable
Development Guide, 2001).
Carbon dioxide equivalent gases
Greenhouse gases that contribute to
the greenhouse effect are referred to as
carbon dioxide equivalent gases since this
is the most abundant greenhouse gas.
(Property Council of Australia, Sustainable
Development Guide, 2001).
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Synthetic products which do not occur
naturally and contain chlorine and fluorine;
commonly used in various industrial
processes and as refrigerants and, prior
to 1990, as a propellant gas for sprays.
CFCs are a powerful greenhouse gas.
(Property Council of Australia, Sustainable
Development Guide, 2001).
CFCs are used as a refrigerant. They are
the worst ozone depleting product and
the most significant cause of ozone layer
depletion. CFCs are being phased out as
part of the Montreal Protocol. (Melbourne
Docklands ESD Guide, Oct 2002).
Client brief
A project vision statement and sustainable
development criteria provided to the
design team. (Property Council of
Australia, Sustainable Development Guide,
2001).
Climate Change Levy
A tax on corporate energy use introduced
by the government in 1999 aimed at
reducing energy consumption. (Corus
Construction Centre glossary, http://www.
corusconstruction.com/page_9041.htm).
Cogeneration
Generation of electricity combined with
the production of heat for commercial or
industrial use. Excess electricity produced
can be fed back into the power grid.
Cogeneration is an energy efficient way of
using fossil fuels. (National Greenhouse
Strategy http://ngs.greenhouse.gov.
au/glossary/).
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ESD DESIGN GUIDE FOR AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS