The Adelaide Festival of Ideas kicked off in July and Senior Architect at Hames Sharley, Yaara Plaves, spoke at one of the workshops presented by the Adelaide Sustainable Building Network (ASBN).

Titled ‘Can we really afford sustainable buildings?’, this free event explored whether sustainable and environmentally friendly buildings are affordable and a worthwhile investment.

While the answer may be obvious to some, Yaara explains that “the intricacies of the problem and therefore the solutions are an eye-opener. Beyond the question of monetary cost, there is the question of how to define value and who benefits from sustainable development.”

The theme of the festival is ‘Who’s at the Wheel’ with the primary aim being to remind us that it’s an exciting time to be alive, but it can be uncomfortable in the passenger seat. All workshops revolve around this central theme, discussing who is in control in this age of innovation.

Yaara says that “these days, clients are better educated and aware of the need and benefits of sustainable design. But every project is different, and every client has a different expectation and understanding of the challenges in future-proofing their development. At Hames Sharley we have ingrained this within our methodology and processes, and are continuously working to provide custom solutions for each and every individual project, so I am excited to share some of my knowledge on the topic.”

“Be sure to bring your sustainability questions along and the panel will steer you towards the best answers for future proofing the built environment”, Yaara adds.

The workshop took place on Sunday the 15th of July at Nexus Arts in Adelaide.