This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
LEND Lease and the University of Newcastle, with the support of the Australian Government’s Australian Research Council, have formed a research partnership aimed at improving sustainability in the retail sector.
The two and half year research is set to challenge the traditional notion of shopping centres being designed with an enclosed format.
Lend Lease Australia’s head of sustainability Cate Collins said retail centres typically have high levels of energy and water consumption.
“So we are excited to be working alongside the University of Newcastle to undertake this groundbreaking research program, which will have a significant impact on the sustainability future of Australia’s retail property sector, whilst also being of interest internationally,”
“Our research has identified a significant lack of understanding of shopper attitudes and behaviours to ecologically sustainable shopping centres,” Project Chief Investigator and Dean of Architecture at the University of Newcastle, Professor Michael Ostwald said.
“In order to design and build shopping centres that are ecologically sound and user-friendly, we need to have a better appreciation of the needs and aspirations of shoppers, tenants, managers and owners.
“This study aims to identify ways that the traditional enclosed shopping centre format may be further developed to improve sustainability,” he added.
Australian Property Journal
