Sustainable Design Assessments

During the planning stage, councils will generally ask for a report outlining key Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) measures that will be implemented during the construction stage.

For smaller developments (1-9 units) and non-residential developments less than 1000m2, the council will request Sustainable Design Assessment (SDA) Report. The SDA report will include a Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) scorecard which will assess 9 key criteria to satisfy the council’s ‘Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process” (SDAPP).

Key points

• We prepare SDA reports within 5 business days.
• We offer practical solutions that work within the client’s budgets
• We offer design advice to assist with a more favourable 6-star energy rating outcome.
• Competitively priced
• Have worked with all councils and understand their preferred outcomes

Preliminary 6-star energy rating reports will also be included for residential developments. This ensures the dwellings meet the 6-star minimum early on and can determine if there are any design issues that could add cost through high-performance double glazing and insulation.

More councils now have an ESD policy that will trigger a Sustainable Design Assessment and are being triggered not only for dual occupancies but for single dwelling sites also. Given how tight some sites can be, it is recommended to engage a professional ESD consultant early during the design stage so that STORM and BESS scorecard systems can be easily managed and implemented.