Green buildings - are codes, standards and targets sufficient drivers of sustainability in New South Wales?

摘要

With the introduction of the Building and Sustainability Index (BASIX) in 2004, New South Wales became an innovator in both Australian and international efforts to improve building design and sustainability. Today, BASIX continues to be promoted as an effective measure to ensure homes are designed to operate more sustainably, and the government is expanding its standards-based approach with the introduction of new housing codes. The effectiveness of these tools, however, remains essentially untested. In an effort to fill this critical gap, this article reflects on BASIX, the new NSW Housing Code and other similar measures in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. It suggests that codes, standards and targets can be appropriate tools to drive sustainable housing, but that the current measures in New South Wales do not achieve this aim.