Gregory Kovacs, Design Director at Benoy, and Kyle Liu, Architectural Assistant, were invited by Dr. Hing-Wah Chau, Course Chair in Building Design and Senior Lecturer in Built Environment at Victoria University, Australia, to deliver a lecture titled “Zero Architecture” to undergraduate students studying Building Design and Architectural Engineering. The lecture provided insights on sustainable design principles to the emerging architects.
The building and construction industry contributes approximately 38% of global CO2 emissions; in response Gregory advocated for a major shift from new built to ‘creative’ re-use. As embodied carbon often exceeds operational emissions, this approach is critical to mitigate the impact of climate change and achieve 50 – 75% savings of embodied carbon emissions.
“More people move from rural to urban areas. The trend towards reusing existing buildings for environmental sustainability is increasing due to urban migration, limited urban land availability, and changing building usage expectations across different regions and periods,” added Kyle.
As the world strives towards a net-zero future by 2050, we need to prioritize retrofitting existing buildings to become zero-carbon ready. However, the current retrofit rate is only 1% per year, which underscores the urgency of upgrading the existing building stock, given that 85 – 95% of buildings will require retrofitting yearly by 2050.
Benoy is committed to a holistic approach to sustainability, balancing economic, social and environmental targets. We prioritize retrofitting and repurposing of existing buildings to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our broader sustainability targets.
To illustrate this, Gregory shared Benoy’s soon to be completed Yongchuan Li project, which integrates local Sichuan culture and heritage with digital technology to convert a decade old abandoned concrete skeleton structure into a new neighbourhood centre in Chongqing. He also showcased some of the adaptive re-use projects underway in Singapore.
The lecture sparked a lot of questions and a candid discussion on the cultural differences and the potential role of the architect.
Benoy is dedicated to nurturing and empowering the younger generation who are interested in the built environment. We will continue to provide support and opportunities for the next generation while seeking to make meaningful contributions to the academia, as well as enhancing the environment we live in.
