Rodd Perey

Architectus Design Technology Director

Degrees, Positions Held: Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), Registered Architect

Q&A

1. What started you on the path toward sustainability?

Growing up in an architectural environment as I did, there was always an awareness of these issues. It wasn’t ESD (ecologically sustainable design) then: it was just good design to consider solar aspect, shading, daylighting, insulation, energy use, natural ventilation, and the myriad other factors that contributed to both comfort and sustainability. The house of my childhood years was designed by my father, with north facing windows under wide eaves, louvre windows, and a use of natural materials. The bricks were clinkers, considered absolute rubbish by many, but available cheaply as a “mistake” in the brick making process.

2. Who inspired you, or nurtured your talent?

Not really a person. I think it is a response to the times. In the 70s, the bigger issue was energy, rather than climate change. The focus has shifted, but I still think that energy efficiency and the use of renewable forms of energy are a key part of the equation.

3. What gives you hope in your industry?

There is a far greater level of concern regarding sustainability issues than there has ever been in the past. The general public has embraced the issue to an unprecedented degree, and our commercially focused clients are getting right behind it too. Architecture is—and should be—at the forefront of the change in thinking, and it is good to know that our clients are coming with us.

4. What worries you most in this area?

That technology is advancing, and awareness is advancing. My concern is that it isn’t enough or happening fast enough. We have picked some of the low hanging fruits. It will be much more difficult to deal with the political issue of forced (perhaps cost-driven) changes to lifestyle. There is a large part of the world where these issues are not even on the agenda.

5. What advice do you give to young people who want to make a difference in the world?

I think it would be to find a way to contribute–through an innovation, through persuasion, or though their own choices.

6. What is the role of technology in sustainable design?

It’s huge, and I think that that is the area where I can contribute. I am not talking about a “quick fix“–technology merely solving the problems created by previous technologies! I think there are two key areas: One is that technology improves to be more efficient–use less energy, generate less waste, have lower impacts through its lifecycle. At Architectus we have always embraced this, for instance recommending efficient T5 fluorescent light fittings to our clients as soon as they became available on the market.

The other key for me, and one of great personal interest, is in the use of building information modeling technology to achieve better building performance. It’s an emerging field and there is still a lot of work to be done, but I look forward to a time soon where we can analyze all the relevant aspects of a building’s performance before it is built. We will have greater capability to explore alternative options and to track measures such as embodied energy, comfort levels, energy consumption, lighting levels, and the like.

In the past, we have had an intuitive understanding of the relationship between building design and sustainability. Our intuition has not always been able to be tested, and building regulations have been built around the concept of designs and material selections that are “deemed" to satisfy the required performance characteristics. That can now change with sophisticated simulations from the building model. This allows for more innovative solutions and better design in support of sustainability principles.