By David Cummins, Managing Director of Future Property Group
For too long, the built environment has treated sustainability as optional, constrained by weak regulation, limited understanding, competing investment priorities and most importantly, poor leadership from decision makers. Our failure to design with intention, to plan with foresight, to build with evidence and to innovate with courage has left construction as one of the least innovative industries in the world, despite its enormous environmental impact.
Yet Australia sits in a unique position. We have the research, the resources, the technology and the capability to lead the world toward a more sustainable future. The path forward is clear, prioritise evidence-based planning and collaborative, purposeful design; focus on long term value rather than short term gains and choose solutions that improve sustainability outcomes rather than diminish them.
The evidence is available, the demand is here and momentum is building to place nature at the centre of every design decision, not as an optional extra, but as a guiding principle that will shape the wellbeing of our communities and the health of our planet for generations to come.
Why sustainability is no longer enough
The built environment is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO? emissions (UN Environment Programme, 2020), with 12% attributed to the embodied carbon of building materials. In Australia, more than 75% of homes remain energy inefficient (Climate Council, 2022), driving up household energy costs and contributing to avoidable emissions.
Meanwhile, biodiversity continues to decline at unprecedented rates. The World Economic Forum ranks nature loss among the top five global economic risks. Traditional sustainability measures in place slow the damage, but they do not reverse it. Nature Positive Design challenges us to go further, to heal the environment through the way we build, rather than harm it. The way we build today simply isn’t sustainable for tomorrow.
Buildings that give back more than they take
Research highlights the extraordinary potential of biophilic and regenerative systems:
- Biosolar roofs (solar PV + green roof) can increase biodiversity by up to 350% while boosting solar efficiency (UTS/Irga et al., 2021).
- Green façades reduce heat absorption by up to 30% and capture particulate matter (Science of the Total Environment, 2017).
- Indoor biophilic design can reduce stress by 34%, improve cognition by 15%, and increase productivity (Terrapin Bright Green, 2012).
Nature Positive Design elevates these principles to create buildings that are:
- Oxygen positive: Homes that generate more oxygen than they consume, transforming roofs and façades into living micro ecosystems.
- Carbon regenerative: Hemp lime composites and other bio-based materials act as long term carbon vaults. Hempcrete alone captures 110–160kg of CO? per cubic metre (Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021).
- Energy independent: High performance envelopes and passive design enable net zero operational energy.
- Water secure: Closed loop systems reduce strain on municipal infrastructure and increase climate resilience.
Across Australia, pioneering companies are already designing homes that are oxygen positive, carbon regenerative, water secure and biodiversity-enhancing, backed by rigorous evidence. Future Property Group is leading this change with our EcoHouse, creating homes that are regenerative in design, oxygen-rich in nature and carbon-negative in impact (and complete from start to finish in 3 months).
The role of evidence-based design and wellbeing
Buildings profoundly shape human health. Poor quality materials and weak design standards can compromise comfort, wellbeing and long-term health. Conversely:
- Improved indoor air quality boosts cognitive scores by up to 61% (Harvard T.H. Chan School, 2015).
- Access to nature reduces cortisol and improves sleep.
- Patients with views of nature recover 8.5% faster (Ulrich, Science, 1984).
Nature Positive Design turns this research into action. Post-occupancy evaluation is the real-world measurement of how buildings perform once they are lived in, providing hard data on energy, air quality and wellbeing to ensure future developments continue to improve. Yet very few Government or private projects invest in this critical learning step – one of the sector’s greatest missed opportunities.
Embed nature at every stage of the project lifecycle
One of the biggest barriers to sustainability adoption is not cost or regulation, it is leadership. When decision makers prioritise speed and short-term savings, they miss the economic, social and environmental value their projects could deliver.
It is a persistent misconception that higher sustainability standards cost more. Research shows the opposite, when collaboration and sustainability principles are embedded from day one, projects achieve superior operational performance, lower lifecycle costs, and stronger environmental and community outcomes. Early integration enables smarter planning, reduced material use, lower heating and cooling loads, and significantly enhanced biophilic benefits.
In contrast, failing to prioritise nature early in design leads to higher long-term costs, poorer comfort and reduced wellbeing. Sustainability must become a team KPI, guiding collaboration toward Nature Positive success.
Australians increasingly seek homes that lower operational costs and place the planet at the forefront. Developers who ignore this shift aren’t just missing an environmental opportunity, they are walking away from market demand, financial value and long-term resilience.
A more sustainable future
If we want a future that is safer, healthier and more resilient, we must rethink what buildings are for. Nature Positive Design shows that buildings can become engines of regeneration, restoring ecosystems, strengthening communities and enriching human wellbeing.
Nature Positive Design is the next evolution of sustainable development in Australia. When we lead with research, prioritise innovation and unite teams around a shared purpose, we don’t just build better projects, we build better futures. Today, we have the opportunity to lead with courage, set a new global benchmark and create a future that is not only sustainable, but deeply restorative for generations to come.
About David Cummins
David Cummins is a visionary property developer and the Managing Director of Future Property Group, the home of the EcoHouse
. As a purpose-led, values-driven Founder, David is pioneering regenerative homes across Australia.
With more than 20 years of experience in the construction and property development industry, David has successfully managed over $2 billion worth of projects and previously served as National Director of Construction and Development, leading project teams of more than 300 professionals across national portfolios.
A specialist in complex projects, sustainable innovation, and regenerative design, David is able to translate research into scalable, practical projects. David is a visionary leader helping drive a new standard for living where the built environment gives back more than it takes.
Guided by values of integrity, research, and positivity, David leads Future Property Group’s mission to reduce the carbon footprint of the property sector, delivering projects that create lasting environmental, social, and financial benefits for people and planet alike.
With an early background in Physiotherapy, David brings a unique, evidence-based perspective to design and leadership. He believes that nature, empathy, and planning must guide the evolution of the built environment toward a more sustainable, health-focused, and resilient future.
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