# Bedroom
A habitable room that is not a living room, large enough to accommodate a single bed. A study is a habitable room that is not large enough to accommodate a single bed so cannot possibly be used as a bedroom. Alternatively a study could consist of a study nook/space, which could be in the form of a recess or a corner that forms part of a larger room.
Internal bedrooms are bedrooms that are located internally on the floor plan with no external glazing. The provision of sliding walls to internal bedrooms is not sufficient to demonstrate access to an external window. Internal bedrooms with sliding walls are considered to be borrowed light bedrooms.
# Building Users’ Guide
A Building Users’ Guide will provide information designed for building occupants in common language that includes information aimed at communicating how the building can be used to optimise its performance potential. Commonly a Building Users’ Guide will detail operational strategies that can result in minimising energy and water use and waste production.
# Clerestory window
Clerestory windows are any high windows above eye level. Clerestory windows can be an effective way to bring light and ventilation into a space.
# Common area (social node)
Places where people gather for social exchange. They can be outdoors or indoors. Indoor spaces include halls and theatres and must be readily identifiable on building plans. This assessment tool favours outdoor places because they tend to be neglected in planning for functional communities.
# Daylight Factor
A measure of indoor brightness of diffuse daylight within a space. It is defined as the ratio of the luminance of a point in a building to the unobstructed outdoor illuminance under the same sky conditions. It is usually measured at the height of the horizontal work plane.
# Deemed-to-Satisfy
Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions are those which meet the performance requirements identified by the BCA Section J for certain building elements.
# Direct sunlight
Unobstructed sunlight that penetrates the living room space by at least 1m at any time during the day.
# Effective metering for apartment /tenancies
An apartment or tenancy is considered to be effectively metered where domestic water, electricity, gas (if provided), and hot water flow (where centralised) metering is installed.
# Effective ventilation
Can be demonstrated via single-sided or cross flow or mechanically assisted natural ventilation meeting the criteria below:
Single-sided
- Depth of room is 5m or less
- Separated openings high and low or split across the width of the room/facade, each 5% of the floor area are preferred.
Cross flow
- A breeze path between 2 ventilation openings either within the room or from one room to another.
- Breeze path length less than 15m measured between ventilation openings and around internal walls, obstructions & partitions.
- Ventilation openings located either in opposite or adjacent external walls or an external wall and an operable skylight.
- Size of ventilation openings greater than 2% of total floor area or 1m2, whichever is greater.
- No more than 1 doorway or opening <2m² between the ventilation openings.
- Where the breeze path travels through an internal door, that door must be provided with door catches.
- If on adjacent walls, ventilation openings must be at least 3m apart at their closest point. This is to ensure the space has reasonable ventilation throughout and not just in one corner.
Mechanically Assisted Natural Ventilation
- Delivering fresh air rates of between 2.5 - 5 L/s/m2 (results should be supported by modelling)
# Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) professional
An Architect or Engineer or similar who has qualifications in relevant tools (e.g. BESS, Greenstar, First Rate, AccuRate) and relevant experience in providing sustainable design advice to the development industry. An ESD professional will commonly have either an architectural or engineering degree and experience with Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process.
# Floor occupancy above
What is above the ceiling of the dwelling in question? If more than one answer applies, choose the answer that covers the largest proportion of the ceiling area. This input is used in the estimation of energy consumption from NatHERS star rating inputs.
# Floor occupancy below
What is below the floor of the dwelling in question? If more than one answer applies, choose the answer that covers the largest proportion of the ceiling area. This input is used in the estimation of energy consumption from NatHERS star rating inputs.
# Floor waste
In this context, floor waste means a wastewater connection on the balcony.
# Green façade
A green facade is created by growing climbing plants up and across the facade of a building, either from plants grown in garden beds at its base, or by container planting installed at different levels across the building.
# Green roof
A vegetated landscape built up from a series of layers that are installed on a roof surface as ‘loose laid’ or modular (that is, installed layer by layer on the roof or as pre-prepared layers in trays). Green roofs may also include communal areas for residents / other building users such as productive garden areas, bbq facilities etc.
# Green wall
A green wall is comprised of plants grown in supported vertical systems that are generally attached to an internal or external wall, although in some cases can be freestanding.
A green wall is comprised of plants grown in supported vertical systems that are generally attached to an internal or external wall, although in some cases can be freestanding.
A green wall is comprised of plants grown in supported vertical systems that are generally attached to an internal or external wall, although in some cases can be freestanding.
# Greywater
Greywater is wastewater from a range of sources including your bath, bathroom basin, laundry and shower. It doesn't include blackwater such as wastewater from toilets. A greywater system enables you to re-use greywater from your home for uses such as toilets and gardens.
# Gross Floor Area
Gross Floor Area is calculated from the outside line of walls on floor plans and are typically measured in metres squared (m²).
# Harvested water
Water harvested from impervious surfaces, including roofs, collected in rainwater tanks. Harvested water may be re-used for flushing toilets, irrigation, vehicle and bin washing, hot water systems, and washing machines (subject to Council Approval)
# Horizontal Sky Angle
The angle in the horizontal plane between the centre of glass of the external window to adjacent obstructions (balconies, neighbouring buildings (existing, proposed, structure plans, whichever is most relevant).
# Illuminance
The amount of light falling on surface, measured in lux. The illuminance at a given point depends on the colour and reflectance of the surfaces that surround it.
# Impervious surface
Surfaces which prevent the infiltration of stormwater runoff. May include roofs, paving, and driveways.
# In home energy display
An in-home display lets you see what you’re using and spending on energy and to view by energy used.
# JV3
JV3 is a modelling approach for non-residential buildings to meeting Section J requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
# Living Area
Includes lounge rooms, dining rooms, family rooms (and similar) and kitchens but excludes bedrooms, studies, bathrooms, laundry.
# Major Common Area Users
For energy (electricity and gas) these may include: car park lighting, chillers and air handling fans, lifts, common area lighting and power, centralised hot water supply, renewable energy supply.
For water these may include: evaporative heat rejection systems, fire system water, irrigation systems, rainwater supply, rainwater make – up tank, swimming pool make-up water, shared laundries, shared bathrooms and car wash facilities.
# Material reflectance
The table below provides typical reflectances of various materials. Some paint manufacturers can provide tested reflectance values for all their paint colors. In the absence of tested information, a rough approximation of the reflectance of a material can be made by using a light meter to compare the amount of light incident on a surface to the amount of light one foot away that is reflected by that surface.
[Source: Skylighting Design Guidelines, Feb 2014 by Energy Design Resources, p49]
# Typical Surface Reflectances
| Floor | 0.3 |
|---|---|
| Internal Walls | 0.7 |
| Ceiling | 0.8 |
# Mid winter
Also known as the winter solstice, which marks the shortest day (and longest night) of the year. Usually occurs on June 21 each year, but can occur between June 20 - 22.
# Passive Design
Any design strategies that have been employed to use the natural climatic conditions of the site in question to achieve thermally comfortable internal spaces. Usually includes consideration of ventilation, passive heat gain, the use of shading, thermal mass and ventilation among other things.
# Roof catchment area
Area of roof from which rainwater can be collected and directed to rainwater storage tanks.
# Secure bicycle space
Bicycle spaces are considered secure if access to them has been restricted to only users of the space. For example, lockable bicycle storage cages or rooms which can only be accessed by residents or staff who have applied for bicycle storage.
# Smart meters
Smart meters capture energy usage information in 15min or 30min intervals and can transfer this data to the building user enabling them to make more informed choices about energy use.
# STORM Rating
An assessment of stormwater runoff and on-site treatment against best practice targets, using the free STORM calculator, available online at http://storm.melbournewater.com.au/
# Stormwater treatment system
May include rainwater or detention tanks, raingardens, vegetated swales, infiltration systems, or a combination.
# Thermally Similar Dwellings
A group of apartments is considered thermally similar based on the following properties: Floor plan type, extent of shared walls, floors and ceilings, orientation, height - exposure to wind changes as height changes, most significant changes occur at 3 storeys and 10 storeys. A thermally similar group could contain as little as two dwellings.
# Thermally similar dwellings
Thermally similar dwellings occur with variation in floor plan type (extent of glazing, shared walls, floors and ceilings), orientation and height (exposure to wind changes as height increases - most significant changes occur at 3 stories and 10 stories). Commonly this would be at least 10% of apartments including 1 apartment per principal orientation and floor, and include apartments located on significant variation to building profile and apartments with higher exposure to ambient conditions.
# Uniform design sky
An artificial sky, used for daylight modelling that is uniformly bright. The commonly accepted uniform design sky is 10,000 lux for many parts of Australia.
# U-value
A measure of heat transfer that is commonly used for windows. The lower the U-value, the lower the heat transfer (lower heat loss = more insulative)
# Vertical Sky Angle
The angle in the vertical plane between the centre of glass of the external window to adjacent obstructions (balconies, neighbouring buildings (existing, proposed, structure plans, whichever is most relevant).
# WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme)
Australia's water efficiency labelling scheme, requiring certain products to be registered and labelled in accordance with the standard set under the national Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Act 2005. See http://www.waterrating.gov.au
# Xeriscape garden
Xeriscape landscapes reduce or eliminate the need for water from irrigation.
# Regular use area
Any room or internal space of a non-residential building other than a bathroom, laundry, toilet, cupboard, corridor, stair, lobby, copying room, photographic darkroom, clothes drying room and other space of a specialised nature occupied neither frequently nor for extended periods.