scholarly journals Enriching the Envelope Experience

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emily Martin

<p><b>Enriching the Envelope Experience is a design strategy for an external retrofit to revitalise existing housing. The aim is to create warmer, drier, healthier homes without having to displace the occupants.</b></p> <p>For many New Zealander’s, inefficient housing is negatively affecting occupant health and wellbeing.</p> <p>Preventable health issues place pressure on healthcare systems, costing valuable resources. The climate, housing, and healthcare crisis desperately require improvements to existing housing for warmer, healthier, and happier homes. Currently, the design of New Zealand housing is inefficient for climate resulting in uncomfortable living conditions. There is a global dependence on finite resources, and the ongoing resource use will reach capacity. Desperate attention to the environmental and economic impact is needed to sustain the precious resources. NewZealand is obligated to reach the 2050 climate goals.</p> <p>The design of buildings needs attention to mitigate the 39% carbon emissions by the construction industry and achieve net-zero carbon housing goals.</p> <p>Lengthy rebuilds require displacing people from their homes and communities and increase the demand for housing and resources. The demolition and rebuild further adds to the significant waste issue.</p> <p>Therefore, there is an opportunity to improve the existing housing stock as a readily available resource.</p> <p>The 1940s-1960s State House is a standardized housing typology mass-produced in New Zealand, and often of poor condition, it was an appropriate site to investigate for a retrofit design strategy.</p> <p>A design framework informed by sustainable design standards, case studies and understanding of the 1940s-1960s house typology directed the design process. The research outcome resulted in an external wall design strategy to improve the occupants’ home experience.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Emily Martin

<p><b>Enriching the Envelope Experience is a design strategy for an external retrofit to revitalise existing housing. The aim is to create warmer, drier, healthier homes without having to displace the occupants.</b></p> <p>For many New Zealander’s, inefficient housing is negatively affecting occupant health and wellbeing.</p> <p>Preventable health issues place pressure on healthcare systems, costing valuable resources. The climate, housing, and healthcare crisis desperately require improvements to existing housing for warmer, healthier, and happier homes. Currently, the design of New Zealand housing is inefficient for climate resulting in uncomfortable living conditions. There is a global dependence on finite resources, and the ongoing resource use will reach capacity. Desperate attention to the environmental and economic impact is needed to sustain the precious resources. NewZealand is obligated to reach the 2050 climate goals.</p> <p>The design of buildings needs attention to mitigate the 39% carbon emissions by the construction industry and achieve net-zero carbon housing goals.</p> <p>Lengthy rebuilds require displacing people from their homes and communities and increase the demand for housing and resources. The demolition and rebuild further adds to the significant waste issue.</p> <p>Therefore, there is an opportunity to improve the existing housing stock as a readily available resource.</p> <p>The 1940s-1960s State House is a standardized housing typology mass-produced in New Zealand, and often of poor condition, it was an appropriate site to investigate for a retrofit design strategy.</p> <p>A design framework informed by sustainable design standards, case studies and understanding of the 1940s-1960s house typology directed the design process. The research outcome resulted in an external wall design strategy to improve the occupants’ home experience.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilesh Bakshi ◽  
Michael Donn ◽  
S Ganda ◽  
J Wallace

Working with a medium scale, research-focused architectural practice this paper measures the efficacy of balanced pressure heat recovery ventilation systems (BPHR systems) in the existing housing stock as a strategy to mitigate thermal heat loss when incorporating ventilation strategies in New Zealand. Current research indicates that BPHR systems boast an efficiency upwards of 80%. The aim of this research is to determine at what point do BPHR systems meet current claims of efficiency. An examination of the existing New Zealand housing stock identifies that 66% of all dwellings do not meet thermal performance requirements. This has been attributed, in part, to the governance of legislation of minimum performance, which did not exist until 1978. This paper, first, identifies building simulation measures and assumptions to accurately simulate BPHR systems in controlled conditions, which is quality assured against the expected performance of a conventional code minimum residential building and a range of models that represent a spectrum of building leakage for pre-legislation buildings. This paper then examines passive ventilation strategies in each model to identify the energy balance of using BPHR systems and the potential for heating energy loss when implementing simpler ventilation strategies. This study identifies that the efficiency of BPHR systems significantly differ in the pre-legislation building simulations. In these models, the building leakage alone renders heat recovery negligible in comparison to simple passive design and occupant-controlled measures thatm achieve a similar result for the indoor air quality.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nilesh Bakshi ◽  
Michael Donn ◽  
S Ganda ◽  
J Wallace

Working with a medium scale, research-focused architectural practice this paper measures the efficacy of balanced pressure heat recovery ventilation systems (BPHR systems) in the existing housing stock as a strategy to mitigate thermal heat loss when incorporating ventilation strategies in New Zealand. Current research indicates that BPHR systems boast an efficiency upwards of 80%. The aim of this research is to determine at what point do BPHR systems meet current claims of efficiency. An examination of the existing New Zealand housing stock identifies that 66% of all dwellings do not meet thermal performance requirements. This has been attributed, in part, to the governance of legislation of minimum performance, which did not exist until 1978. This paper, first, identifies building simulation measures and assumptions to accurately simulate BPHR systems in controlled conditions, which is quality assured against the expected performance of a conventional code minimum residential building and a range of models that represent a spectrum of building leakage for pre-legislation buildings. This paper then examines passive ventilation strategies in each model to identify the energy balance of using BPHR systems and the potential for heating energy loss when implementing simpler ventilation strategies. This study identifies that the efficiency of BPHR systems significantly differ in the pre-legislation building simulations. In these models, the building leakage alone renders heat recovery negligible in comparison to simple passive design and occupant-controlled measures thatm achieve a similar result for the indoor air quality.


2021 ◽  
pp. 084047042110036
Author(s):  
Neil H. Ritchie

The global pandemic has taught us that we can focus the attention of the healthcare system on a clear intention when there is a looming threat. Climate action is required from multiple stakeholders particularly private sector suppliers in order to achieve the net-zero carbon emission by 2050 goal established by the Canadian government. Also building climate resilience among healthcare institutions and their supply chains is urgently needed, as they are already affected by a changing climate. By adopting a circular economy framework, the industry can move away from the current damaging take, make waste economic model and adopt a more sustainable model characterized by designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. Health leaders can adopt sharing platforms, product as a service, reduce single use products, encourage extended producer responsibility, and value-based procurement in order to further these aims.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4455
Author(s):  
Thao Thi Phuong Bui ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  
Niluka Domingo ◽  
Casimir MacGregor

In the light of climate change, the drive for zero carbon buildings is known as one response to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Within New Zealand, research on climate change mitigation and environmental impacts of buildings has received renewed attention. However, there has been no detailed investigation of zero carbon building practices. This paper undertakes an exploratory study through the use of semi-structured interviews with government representatives and construction industry experts to examine how the New Zealand construction industry plans and implements zero carbon buildings. The results show that New Zealand’s construction industry is in the early stage of transiting to a net-zero carbon built environment. Key actions to date are focused on devising a way for the industry to develop and deliver zero carbon building projects. Central and local governments play a leading role in driving zero carbon initiatives. Leading construction firms intend to maximise the carbon reduction in building projects by developing a roadmap to achieve the carbon target by 2050 and rethinking the way of designing and constructing buildings. The research results provide an insight into the initial practices and policy implications for the uptake of zero carbon buildings in Aotearoa New Zealand.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 627-634
Author(s):  
Karen Turner ◽  
Antonios Katris ◽  
Julia Race

Many nations have committed to midcentury net zero carbon emissions targets in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. These require systemic transition in how people live and do business in different local areas and regions within nations. Indeed, in recognition of the climate challenge, many regional and city authorities have set their own net zero targets. What is missing is a grounded principles framework to support what will inevitably be a range of broader public policy actions, which must in turn consider pathways that are not only technically, but economically, socially and politically feasible. Here, we attempt to stimulate discussion on this issue. We do so by making an initial proposition around a set of generic questions that should challenge any decarbonisation action, using the example of carbon capture and storage to illustrate the importance and complexity of ensuring feasibility of actions in a political economy arena. We argue that this gives rise to five fundamental ‘Net Zero Principles’ around understanding of who really pays and gains, identifying pathways that deliver growing and equitable prosperity, some of which can deliver near-term economic returns, while avoiding outcomes that simply involve ‘off-shoring’ of emissions, jobs and gross domestic product.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-369
Author(s):  
Robert Cohen ◽  
Karl Desai ◽  
Jennifer Elias ◽  
Richard Twinn

The UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework was published in April 2019 following an industry task group and extensive consultation process. The framework acts as guidance for achieving net zero carbon for operational energy and construction emissions, with a whole life carbon approach to be developed in the future. In consultation with industry, further detail and stricter requirements are being developed over time. In October 2019, proposals were set out for industry consultation on minimum energy efficiency targets for new and existing commercial office buildings seeking to achieve net zero carbon status for operational energy today, based on the performance levels that all buildings will be required to achieve by 2050. This was complemented by modelling work undertaken by the LETI network looking into net zero carbon requirements for new buildings. In January 2020 UKGBC published its guidance on the levels of energy performance that offices should target to achieve net zero and a trajectory for getting there by 2035. This paper describes the methodology behind and industry perspectives on UKGBC’s proposals which aim to predict the reduction in building energy intensity required if the UK’s economy is to be fully-powered by zero carbon energy in 2050. Practical application: Many developers and investors seeking to procure new commercial offices or undertake major refurbishments of existing offices are engaging with the ‘net zero carbon’ agenda, now intrinsic to the legislative framework for economic activity in the UK. A UKGBC initiative effectively filled a vacuum by defining a set of requirements including energy efficiency thresholds for commercial offices in the UK to be considered ‘net zero carbon’. This paper provides all stakeholders with a detailed justification for the level of these thresholds and what might be done to achieve them. A worked example details one possible solution for a new office.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Litzelman ◽  
Max Tuttman ◽  
Maruthi Devarakonda ◽  
Maxim Lyubovsky ◽  
Ray Duthu

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