A new diagnostic tool for planning will make it easier for developers and architects to assess the environmental, economic and social performance of their precinct designs.
Released today by the NSW government, the PRECINX tool rates a suburb in a specific location while also factoring in local geography and climate.
“Many more significant sustainability gains can be achieved if you work across suburbs rather than house by house or building by building, particularly when major infrastructure is involved,” planning minister, Kristina Keneally.
Landcom will be trialing the program at all its new developments, with a view to making the software widely available to private sector developers and public agencies.
The tool looks across suburbs with input modules for onsite energy, embodied CO2, potable water, stormwater, housing diversity and transport. Precints are measured based on their greenhouse gas emissions, potable water, total affordability and the vehicle hours travelled.
“PRECINX uses real performance data to predict the sustainability of new developments, bringing ways to achieve sustainable but also affordable housing to the forefront of neighborhood planning,” Keneally said.
This follows on the government’s BASIX program, which makes individual new houses more sustainable.
Since BASIX was applied state-wide in 2005, more than 42,000 new houses have been approved, leading to a decrease in energy and water usage.
“The BASIX initiative for new houses has helped cut 173,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases over three years, and has saved 5.7 billion litres of water, the equivalent of 2,275 Olympic swimming pools,” Keneally said.
