Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Primary areas of research and supervision:
- Building Sector greenhouse gas emission mitigation and energy efficiency policy, assessment and reporting;
- Urban resilience, adaptation and climate change mitigation policy strategies.
- Architectural Science, and ecological design education.
Peter Graham’s career in sustainable building spans all levels of the industry, from the construction site to university, and from boardrooms to international negotiations. He is the Executive Director of the Global Buildings Performance Network (www.gbpn.org), an international network of experts dedicated to achieving the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings sector. He has more than 15 years experience in international advocacy, research and education in sustainable building design, construction, evaluation and policy. Previously he has been the Technical Advisor and past Coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative where he developed and managed many of UNEP’s key research projects and publications in the building sector. His previous roles include Deputy Director of the Centre for Urban Transitions, and Node leader for the CRC for Low Carbon Living at Swinburne University of Technology, Head of Discipline for Architecture & Design and Stream-Leader in the Architecture Program at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He began his academic career at RMIT as lecturer in Sustainable Construction.
Peter was a contributing author to the IPCC AR5 Working Group 3 Buildings Chapter, the Global Energy Assessment, UNEP Emissions Gap Report, Global Status Report on Buildings & Construction, and contributor to drafting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also led the content development, organizational strategy and implementation planning for the Paris COP21 Buildings Day and Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Construction Management, a Masters Degree in Applied Science and a PhD in Architecture.
In these roles Peter worked closely with the public, civil, and private sectors to assist the implementation of sustainable and resilient building and construction policies and practices. Recent research includes studies on the status of building energy policies for the OECD and APEC, the status of buildings sector actions in Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans for the UN Environment Program, and the development of climate policy evidence bases for the CRC for Low Carbon Living and Global Buildings Performance Network.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
External positions
Executive Director, Global Buildings Performance Network
12 Apr 2011 → …
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Decarbonising Buildings in Asia
Graham, P. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Permanasari, E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Crow, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Edwards, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bunster, V. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Maxwell, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bragge, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Sharp, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Raven, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & McFarlane, K. (Project Manager)
Global Buildings Performance Network
17/06/23 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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Utilization of Digital twins’ platform for the dynamic life cycle assessment of buildings –Using an Australian case study.
Dharmarathna, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Graham, P. (Supervisor)
1/08/22 → 1/08/25
Project: Research
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Net Zero Precincts: an interdisciplinary approach to decarbonising cities
Raven, R. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Pink, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Webb, G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Farrelly, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Liebman, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Coxon, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Graham, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Quillinan, A. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Cailes, D. (Partner Investigator (PI))
1/09/21 → 31/08/26
Project: Research
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Componentised Internal Wall Systems for multi-residential Applications (Building 4.0 CRC, Project 28)
Harper, L. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Khor, L.-A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Maxwell, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bunster, V. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bertram, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Murray, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Graham, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ngo, T. D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Couper, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Kuzmanovska, I. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Tinios, D. (Associate Investigator (AI))
25/07/21 → 25/01/22
Project: Research
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Environmental Decision-support for Steel Structures – Scoping Study
Bunster, V. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Chang, V. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Graham, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Zhou, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ngo, T. D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Aye, L. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Keogh , M. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Guccione, L. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Stone, P. (Partner Investigator (PI))
7/07/21 → 22/12/22
Project: Research
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Barriers and drivers of sustainable building adoption and influencing factor dynamics: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Dharmarathna, D., Bunster, V. & Graham, P., Jan 2026, In: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 226, 23 p., 116361.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Developing criteria for effective building-sector commitments in nationally determined contributions
Graham, P., McFarlane, K. & Taheri, M., 10 Sept 2025, In: Buildings and Cities. 6, 1, p. 695-712 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
Unpacking the evolution of Green Star rating tools and their certification trends in Australian building projects
Dharmarathna, D., Graham, P. & Bunster, V., 1 Oct 2025, In: Journal of Building Engineering. 111, 19 p., 113328.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A policy and roadmap review for building sector decarbonisation - insights from Australia and New Zealand
Dharmarathna, D., Graham, P. & Bunster, V., 2024, Harmony in Architectural Science and Design: Sustaining the Future, 57th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association. Zhang, F., Yu, R., Bischeri, C., Liu, T. & Khoshbakht, M. (eds.). Gold Coast Qld Australia: The Architectural Science Association (ANZAScA), p. 458-465 8 p. (Proceedings of the International Conference of Architectural Science Association).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
A review of building life cycle assessment software tools: Challenges and future directions
Dharmarathna, D., Bunster, V. & Graham, P., 2024, World Sustainable Built Environment 2024 . Foliente, G., Lützkendorf, T., Gibberd, J., Keena, N. & Walllbaum, H. (eds.). IOP Publishing, 13 p. 012063. (IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science; vol. 1363).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
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United Nations Climate Change Conference 2023
Graham, P. (Organiser)
2 Dec 2023 → 9 Dec 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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UIA World Congress of Architects 2023
Graham, P. (Speaker)
4 Jul 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Agence internationale de l'énergie (International Energy Agency) (External organisation)
Graham, P. (Member)
6 Oct 2022 → 25 Sept 2023Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Membership of an advisory panel/policy group/ board
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UNFCCC COP26 Glasgow
Graham, P. (Organiser), McFarlane, K. (Organiser) & Bragge, P. (Organiser)
31 Oct 2021 → 12 Nov 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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GlobalABC Launch Webinar: Adopting Decarbonization Policies in the Buildings and Construction Sector
Graham, P. (Contributor)
11 Jun 2020Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public event
Press/Media
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Poor building design and ‘heat pandemic’ a lethal combination
Graham, P., Bragge, P. & McFarlane, K.
22/07/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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WEBINAR: 'Pump up the volume: Heat pumps for a decarbonised future'
15/12/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Other
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GLOBALABC REPORT LAUNCH: 'Adopting Decarbonization Policies for the Buildings and Construction Sector'
11/06/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Other