Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. This project aims to develop a whole-of-life procurement decision-making framework so schools can make delivering better education more cost effective. This framework—which draws on state-of-the-art and Nobel prize-winning theories and a new theory the project will develop—will be used in government and private schools. The effectiveness of this fram ....Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. Innovative procurement theories to optimise education per cost of school. This project aims to develop a whole-of-life procurement decision-making framework so schools can make delivering better education more cost effective. This framework—which draws on state-of-the-art and Nobel prize-winning theories and a new theory the project will develop—will be used in government and private schools. The effectiveness of this framework in improving schools will be shown using a new approach to make school facilities deliver educational outcomes and account for their total production and transaction costs. This research is expected to deliver more efficient ways to future-proof schools to create a well performing school system and more resilient infrastructure vital to Australia’s future prosperity.Read moreRead less
The impact of work-from-home environments on comfort and productivity. This project aims to quantify the effect of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in work-from-home (WFH) settings on worker comfort, productivity and household energy use, by employing a longitudinal field monitoring approach. This project expects to generate new knowledge that will inform current indoor environment standards and regulations to make them more relevant to our “new WFH normal”. Quantifying the impact of decentral ....The impact of work-from-home environments on comfort and productivity. This project aims to quantify the effect of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in work-from-home (WFH) settings on worker comfort, productivity and household energy use, by employing a longitudinal field monitoring approach. This project expects to generate new knowledge that will inform current indoor environment standards and regulations to make them more relevant to our “new WFH normal”. Quantifying the impact of decentralised workforces on shifting energy usage between sectors can also help in the formulation of relevant energy efficiency policies and building codes. The project will provide significant benefits such as enhancing the quality of work-life of workers and enabling better management of residential energy use.Read moreRead less
Bushfire-enhanced wind and its effects on buildings. This project seeks to advance our understanding of bushfire–wind interaction to improve current design standards for buildings against bushfire-enhanced winds. Bushfire-enhanced winds have caused considerable property damage and loss of lives. The project aims to identify the mechanisms governing bushfire–wind interaction and determine the wind load effects on buildings due to bushfire-enhanced wind. It aims to do so by using advanced computat ....Bushfire-enhanced wind and its effects on buildings. This project seeks to advance our understanding of bushfire–wind interaction to improve current design standards for buildings against bushfire-enhanced winds. Bushfire-enhanced winds have caused considerable property damage and loss of lives. The project aims to identify the mechanisms governing bushfire–wind interaction and determine the wind load effects on buildings due to bushfire-enhanced wind. It aims to do so by using advanced computation techniques and unique fire-wind tunnel test facility. This knowledge is designed to guide the development of improved building construction standards for bushfire-prone regions to facilitate the design and construction of a new generation of bushfire-resistant buildings that safeguard lives and properties against the increasing threat of bushfire due to climate change.Read moreRead less
Improving the Environmental Performance of Australian Construction Projects. This project aims to investigate the environmental impacts of construction in Australia through the development of a sophisticated hybrid environmental assessment model. The project aims to assist in identifying the most significant environmental impacts, critical areas for mitigation efforts and informing environmental policy and programs within the Australian construction industry. The development of one of the most s ....Improving the Environmental Performance of Australian Construction Projects. This project aims to investigate the environmental impacts of construction in Australia through the development of a sophisticated hybrid environmental assessment model. The project aims to assist in identifying the most significant environmental impacts, critical areas for mitigation efforts and informing environmental policy and programs within the Australian construction industry. The development of one of the most sophisticated and comprehensive models for assessing environmental impacts ever produced is expected to enable cost- and time-efficient evaluation of multiple environmental impacts at a high level of detail and completeness. This should lead to considerable improvements to the environmental performance of Australian construction projects.Read moreRead less
Solving the problem of speech distraction in open-plan offices. The project aims to better understand how irrelevant speech in open-plan offices affects the occupants’ cognitive performance and creates annoyance leading to a loss of productivity. Over 97% of Australian office workers are located in open-plan offices. Without internal walls, open-plan offices are designed to make people interact more frequently, therefore be more collaborative and productive. Yet there is a high level of dissatis ....Solving the problem of speech distraction in open-plan offices. The project aims to better understand how irrelevant speech in open-plan offices affects the occupants’ cognitive performance and creates annoyance leading to a loss of productivity. Over 97% of Australian office workers are located in open-plan offices. Without internal walls, open-plan offices are designed to make people interact more frequently, therefore be more collaborative and productive. Yet there is a high level of dissatisfaction with open-plan layout because of frequent distraction by background speech from co-workers, which has been shown to significantly decrease work performance and productivity. The intended outcomes of the project are the development of powerful new tools to measure, model and predict the degree of speech distraction at work, enabling the establishment of new international standards that will increase work performance and productivity.Read moreRead less