With student enrolments expected to continue in an upward trajectory, educational institutions – especially in metropolitan areas – may soon find it harder to find enough space to house their students while considering sustainability and the environment in the process.
But some schools and universities are quick to adapt and are even acknowledged for it. Norway, for example, saw its newly-built public school garner the Nordic Swan Eco-label, a first for any education institution to ever do so.
In a more local setting, La Trobe University also recently announced it was shortlisted as a finalist for Green University of the Year category in the Asia-Pacific Triple E Awards.
The University’s Victoria campus is also aiming to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2029, while its regional campuses are eyeing to be carbon neutral by 2022.
The University, which is in the process of building two student accommodation buildings, previously revealed that it will be making use of an emerging renewable construction technology called Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) for its $100m project.
CLT is considered to be a better alternative compared to concrete as it is a better insulator and can even be disassembled and reused for future projects.
The timber can be sourced without harming forests if these are from sustainable, fast-growth forests, Multiplex Project Manager Danielle Savio said.
“About 20% of sustainable plantations are currently used each year – therefore we have the capacity to increase our use of timber without causing detriment to these plantations,” Savio said.
The 624-bed buildings are considered as the second largest timber project by mass in the country. About 4,100 cubic meters of CLT is expected to be used in total.
Influencing the communities
While La Trobe has been implementing sustainable initiatives, some universities are coming out with studies instead to promote greenspaces in cities and communities
Monash University also recently came out with new research which can help transform parts of outer suburban Melbourne into more sustainable and social-engaged communities, termed as “20-minute neighbourhoods.”
The research is designed to transform communities to become safe and accessible mixed-use areas where all key infrastructures can be accessed within 20-minutes.
This in turns helps maximise the use of resources and enables the easy adaptation of changing conditions as well as demands in the community in the process.
“20-minute neighbourhoods can improve the quality of life for residents, who can live nearby public transport, shops, work and services,” Monash University Urban Planning and Design Professor Carl Grodach said.
Another research published in the Lancet Planetary Health also found that increasing green areas in cities do improve physical and mental health of its residents. The research analysed nine longitudinal studies in seven countries, covering around 8.3m people.
Australian Catholic University professorial fellow Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, one of the study’s authors, also said that increasing green areas also helps reduce death rates.
Professor Nieuwenhuijsen also serves as the director of the Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative at Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
"Urban greening programs are the key to promoting public health, increasing biodiversity and mitigating the impacts of climate change, making our cities more sustainable and liveable,” he said.
“This is important because half of the world's population lives in cities where there is often a lack of green space.”