A new high performance show home has recently been launch at Christchurch’s Home Innovation Village. Facilitated by Beacon Pathway the project brings together a range of partners. Read more about it on Beacon’s website.
Does this offer a cheap sustainable solution to NZ housing woes?
As a practitioner, what value do you see in these developments? And what challenges?
Scott Willis said on April 17, 2013
What a challenge Sally! This type of show-home presents those of us working in the community sector with a real conundrum. One the one hand, there are too few examples we can learn from and provide as examples to those who come to us for advice on new builds. On the other, how much can we learn about cheap, sustainable solutions from show homes that are resource hungry (cost, materials, design) and promoted (at least in part) by commercial interests?
What we currently look for at BRCT to answer queries we get, are those examples that are the most ‘objective’ examples we can get. Little Greenie (http://hikurangi.org.nz/ventures/housing/little-greenie-building-education/ ALSO http://www.energywise.govt.nz/your-home/building-and-renovating/little-greenie) is an excellent example, because of the five principles its owner/builder began with: energy efficiency, low maintenance and longevity, ease of construction and value for money.
There is also the innovative example of recycled housing provided by the He Korowai Trust (http://www.hekorowaitrust.co.nz/welcome-home.htm) which is not just about housing, but is also about community and a wider social and environmental web.
In an ideal world, some ‘disinterested’ money would be available to set up a research cluster to evaluate the different housing initiatives and evaluate them for their effectiveness in addressing NZ housing woes – but we all know that funding such ‘community good’ stuff is very difficult in NZ.
nickcollins said on April 28, 2013
Scott – interested in your comments re resource hungry, materials and design.
Anne Salmond’s High Performance House brings architectural design to simple repeatable homes which provide an alternative to the traditional group house builder. You will see from her website http://www.highperformancehouses.co.nz/high-performance/ that she is guided by a similar set of principles, which you mention.
Furthermore the commercial interests who partnered to deliver this project are working collaboratively to improve technical performance, buildability and affordability, refer http://warmframe.co.nz/performance.
Anne’s High Performance House with Warmframe demonstrates high levels of thermal performance – (ceiling insulated to R5.0, walls to R3.5/4.0, floor to R2.5).
In demonstrating higher performance in new homes (in the HIVE) it is the partners aim is to encourage traditional home builders to deliver higher performing homes… rather than continue to deliver business as usual.
This home has been awarded 8 stars on Homestar and Lifemark 5 Stars.