The Fifth Estate
Green buildings and sustainable cities – news and views
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BUSINESS NEWS: Capital is flowing towards cutting-edge solutions to the sustainability challenge, with automation billed as a solution for safer, faster, more accurate, and less wasteful construction.
FBR, the automated bricklaying company, announced a $20 million capital raise last week with Jarden Australian as underwriter.
The funds will be used to complete mechanical assembly and commissioning of the company’s Hadrian X®? H110 (H03) bricklaying machine, and the next generation Hadrian X®? H110.
The company had a $142 million market capitalisation prior to Wednesday’s raising.
This comes less than five months after a $4 million placement at 1.8¢ managed by MST Financial.
And Australia’s largest brick manufacturer Brickworks recently increased its shareholding to an undisclosed amount in ASX-listed robotic bricklayer.
Australia’s biggest science agency has revealed that property is the biggest challenge it faces as it cuts down on emissions.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has published its first annual sustainability report, reporting on the organisation’s environmental, economic and social impact.
CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said the report revealed that the science agency has made progress on waste management solutions and sustainable procurement practices, among other initiatives.
He said the biggest challenge was the carbon footprint of its property portfolio.
“Despite our massive property footprint – including remote sites and diverse assets like our research vessel Investigator, supercomputing facilities, and one of the best-equipped PC4 biosecurity facilities in the world at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong – we have still set ambitious targets for CSIRO to reach net zero emissions by 2030, which will be achieved in part through harnessing world-class innovation from CSIRO and our partners.”
In 2021-2022, the science agency reduced its property footprint by over 50,000 square metres, halved its greenhouse gas emissions, and achieved Australian Workplace Equality Index Silver accreditation and Science and Gender Equity accreditation.
It’s been installing solar panels on its properties, such as the Kensington site in Western Australia.
It’s also collaborating with schools to feed the nation’s hungry minds with the annual Sydney Science Park (SSP) STEM Schools Challenge.
In partnership with the Association of Independent Schools NSW, industry partners, universities and NSW based schools, the project was a great success with a Grand Final Challenge Event held at the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo last month.
As part of the challenge, secondary students from across NSW participated in hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education.
The $5 billion Sydney Science Park from developer Celestino hosts the competition, with general manager for business development Duncan Challen saying that the greenfield master planned site wanted to encourage the role of future leaders in “shaping the development of more liveable, healthy, connected, sustainable and resilient cities”.
“These students are the future prosperity of NSW and Australia, and it is important that we provide them with the platforms to help them think about a career they may have never imagined before, and that we listen authentically to their voices on how we should build their new cities” said Mr Challen.
Sydney Science Park is located three kilometres north of the planned Nancy Bird-Walton International Airport in Western Sydney which is currently under construction and on track to begin operations in 2026.
The developer aims to create a research and development hub supported by a retail centre, social infrastructure including schools, healthcare facilities, universities, residential, open spaces and smart city technology.
This comes as interest in life sciences ramps up as property developers and investors alike flock to the opportunity – and realise the vital role that scientific research commercialisation has to play in the climate challenge.
A new report by global higher education alliance CEMS has revealed that environmental concerns are the greatest challenge facing modern-day business leaders – even outstripping concerns around infectious diseases which seemed to be all-consuming the past few years.
Leading for the Future of Our Planet, states that the world is “headed for environmental catastrophe if urgent action is not taken”.
Of the 4206 professionals surveyed worldwide, 43 per cent of respondents identified the environment as the biggest challenge, followed by technological advancement (26 per cent), economic and political power changes (14 per cent), political instability (6 per cent), and global pandemics (3 per cent).
Dirk Hovorka, professor in business information systems at the University of Sydney Business School, wrote in the report: “We talk about biodiversity and the environment as though they are external and separate from us: the environment is ‘doing something’ or biodiversity is ‘in trouble‘. One of the biggest challenges is convincing people that the problem is humans and our astounding abdication of care for anything other than ourselves.
“As companies, we must also move away from the idea that growth is the ultimate goal and that the world’s resources are infinite. Sustainable growth is an oxymoron, as you cannot grow indefinitely – there is going to be an end to growth in a finite planet.
“Leaders need to recognise that if they want their organisations, people and biodiversity – the world – to thrive in the future, they have to change their ideology. It must shift away from the primary purpose of profit and prioritise other values.”
Are you in the textile design industry?
Grants are now available for projects driving climate solutions in the Australian fashion industry over the next three years.
The Country Road Climate Fund is investing $1.5 million in grant funding to help accelerate and incubate projects, programs, initiatives or products that are aiming to help solve the climate crisis.
The Climate Fund’s project advisor, Yatu Widders-Hunt, a Dunghutti and Anaiwan woman and the General Manager of Indigenous social change agency, Cox Inall Ridgeway, emphasised the Climate Fund’s focus on First Nations-led innovations.
Application deadline is Thursday 1 December with grant recipients announced in April 2023.
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