we offer a range of different services, tailored to your individual sustainability goals for your project. we can chart out an efficient, economical pathway to compliance through nathers assessment or deemed to satisfy pathways, but we also offer services that will utilise these regulatory frameworks to optimise the performance of your home.
unsure what pathway is best for you, or what your project may require? feel free to get in touch with us at info@studiobun.com.au
A NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) compliance assessment verifies that your home's design meets the minimum energy efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC). It involves assessing the home's thermal performance using accredited NatHERS software and providing the documentation required for building approval. This service is focused on achieving compliance with the applicable regulations, rather than optimising the design for a higher energy rating or improved performance. This includes a whole of home calculation, using the assessed performance of the home and predicting the energy use based on the proposed heating and cooling services as well as other major fixed appliances.
An Elemental Provisions assessment demonstrates energy efficiency compliance under the National Construction Code without thermal performance modelling. Each element of the building is checked against a fixed prescriptive benchmark set out in the ABCB Housing Provisions, covering insulation, glazing, building sealing and thermal breaks, along with Whole of Home energy usage under Part 13.6. Because the pathway allows no trade offs between elements, it suits projects where each component can meet the benchmark on its own.
A Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) assessment verifies that a development meets the relevant water management and stormwater quality requirements set by the applicable authority or planning scheme. It involves reviewing the proposed drainage strategy, stormwater treatment measures, and site design to assess compliance with water quality, flow reduction, and runoff objectives. The assessment provides the documentation required for planning approval and authority submission. This service is focused on achieving regulatory compliance, rather than detailed hydraulic design optimisation.
A Section J compliance assessment verifies that a commercial building's design meets the energy efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC). It involves reviewing the building envelope, glazing, insulation, building sealing, services and other applicable energy efficiency provisions in accordance with Section J of the NCC, and providing the documentation required for building approval. This service is focused on achieving compliance with the applicable regulations, rather than optimising the building's energy performance.
A NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) thermal envelope optimisation service uses accredited NatHERS software to improve the energy performance of a home's design by refining its thermal envelope. It involves iterative modelling of the building fabric—including orientation, insulation, glazing, shading, and construction systems—to reduce heating and cooling loads and improve overall thermal efficiency. This service is focused on optimising the design for improved performance outcomes, rather than simply achieving minimum compliance requirements.
A Sustainable Feasibility Study is an early-stage architectural service that tests the viability of a project while integrating sustainability and energy performance considerations from the outset. It involves high-level sketch design development, site analysis, planning constraint review, and preliminary environmental performance assessment to identify the most effective design response for the site. As registered architects, Studio Bun is able to carry this work through from feasibility into full architectural design and documentation where required. This service is focused on establishing a clear and sustainable design direction for a project, rather than detailed documentation or construction-ready design development.
A Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design assessment reviews the ecological context of a development site and sets out how the design can contribute to local biodiversity rather than only reduce it. Structured around the five BSUD objectives, it covers indigenous species and planting structure, fauna movement, habitat features, night lighting and integration with stormwater treatment. This is advisory work rather than a compliance requirement in most municipalities.
A Sustainable Design Assessment or Sustainability Management Plan demonstrates a development's environmental performance as part of a planning permit application. Most councils require one, and many assess it through BESS, covering energy, water, stormwater, indoor environment quality, transport, waste, urban ecology and construction management. The pass condition is not a single number: an overall score of 50 per cent is required, with minimums across several categories and a stormwater category that must reach 100 per cent.