With everything going in the world, between pandemics and Russian invasions, when I find something that brightens my perspective, I feel compelled to share that.
Shivering and sweltering at the same time
Most people in NZ have a story growing up in a cold damp house. For example, I grew up in a 1980’s house which was flowing with condensation in winter. No problems though because the window design solution was to have purpose designed aluminium drip trays to collect that water and holes to drain the water outside. Ignore for a moment those holes let the cold air in and the warm air out(!?). In the summer the house was unbearably hot and ‘cracked’ as the house warmed in the morning and cooled in the evening. But this was normal and the new standard of house construction at the time. It was awful.
Moving forward a decade I trained as a civil engineer. I learnt about the building code including water supply, sanitary living, geotechnics, structural stability, and hydrology. This was complicated stuff. You would think then we would know now how to design and build houses better than we did in the 1980’s. Sadly, as a society we are slow learners. When I graduated in 1997, the leaky houses saga had just commenced.
A woolly hat, socks and a better set of glasses
Today we know we can do much better than the minimum standard. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) went out to consultation in April 2021 to discuss options for a potentially much improved Building Code. The result was in November 2021 the Building Act was changed with increased roof insulation (nearly double), increased floor slab insulation (particularly in the colder climate zones) and windows must now be thermally broken (meaning heat leakage through the frame is less).
Simplistically, the change results in new houses being given 1) a woolly hat, 2) socks and 3) a better set of glasses. The biggest disappointment is there is no change to wall insulation or the woolly coat our houses so desperately need.
Rather than debate the merit for increased insulation, it is easier to show what building better can achieve.
Plus: a woolly coat, mittens, and a hot cuppa cocoa
Woodford Grace is a 1930’s house in Christchurch that has been renovated and extended. Before it’s renovation it was a cold dry house. After renovation it is a warm dry house. It’s been performance certified by the Passive House Institute in Germany and is proven to be more sustainable with significantly lower heating costs than its modern equivalents. Woodford Grace is roughly 4 to 6 times more airtight than a modern home.
The reason for Woodford Grace’s increased performance is because it was not only constructed to a much higher standard than the NZ Building Code (including all the earlier aspects plus 4) a woolly coat, 5) mittens, and 6) hot cuppa cocoa), it was also post construction tested to make sure it performed as expected.
Woodford Grace – original house
Even the government doesn’t build minimum – why would you?
The fact that Woodford Grace provides a better than minimum performance in an old house needs to be shared. Probably more importantly the wider public should demand an increased standard of advice from their professional advisors. Unfortunately, I know of at least one well known architectural firm that has won many awards for their designs but has never had one of their designs built above the minimum. It might look good, but if it performs to the minimum (even a new minimum), aren’t we simply building nearly outdated, but new?
Even Kāinga Ora, the social housing arm of Government knows this. It has a commitment to build to a minimum Homestar 6, a standard that is above the minimum Building Code!
Woodford Grace – during renovations
The sustainable path
I’d recommend you have a look at Woodford Grace. This project demonstrates that extending the life of our homes means more a sustainable outcome and better use of embodied carbon. This project also demonstrates a Passive House can be designed with architectural flair.
Maybe unsurprisingly this project recently won a national Association of Consulting and Engineering award for the quality of its professional advisors and has also been certified Homestar 8.
Check out www.woodfordgrace.com and embrace a better, more sustainable path. It has many elements that almost any new project build would benefit from.
Woodford Grace – complete
Steve Abley
Chief Executive