With another winter starting and another delay to the incremental crawl towards better standards in the National Construction Code we have been reflecting on describing what we do.
Previously we have referred to high performance projects because they deliver comfort, healthy air and efficiency, significantly above the average Australian building. They are projects that are responsive to their climate, and responsible in the face of a climate-emergency.
Having read the UK Architects Declare statement lambasting the media (not you The Fifth Estate) this week, I have realised we are also part of the problem. “High performance” implies a degree of elitism, high end or just high cost – yet these projects should not be considered this at all.
Anyone reading TFE would have multiple examples of non-high performing homes: mould, condensation, too cold, too hot. Some of these problems occur in buildings that have been lauded by their peers, but no one talks about this publicly!
The problems are well understood and, frustratingly, so are the solutions. It turns out other jurisdictions have moved on, made mistakes, and then found solutions for them.
Australia’s special snowflake status means that we cannot adopt these solutions; not use international standards. We must do it all for ourselves, possibly because physics is different here! I can think of no other reason for our glacial progress – (although some are moving faster these daysthrough trials and pilot programs than actual nationwide action.
So as a small contribution to this space: what is “appropriate performance” buildings. What’s appropriate?
- Comfortable indoor temperature and humidity all year round
- Fresh indoor air without the energy penalty of opening windows at 3am
- Healthier indoor environment with low C02 levels, low pollutants/irritants
- No condensation
- No mould
- Harvest as much renewable energy on site as you can/need
For the record most of our projects are certifiable Passivhaus ones. Yes, this is appropriate performance not high performance.
This is not the only way to deliver the buildings we need, however, the Passivhaus standard has 30 years of building science behind it, it is adaptable to any building and type and has a proven track record of delivering what was promised.
We’re not smart enough to reinvent that wheel so we’ll use this standard until someone finds a better one!
All of this does not mean to ignore the importance of beauty, functionality and upfront carbon – these remain critical challenges. If it’s not beautiful it gets knocked down; if it doesn’t work it gets knocked down, and if it gets knocked down and rebuilt, we’ll run out of resources!
The false guise of affordability
While some may disagree, we believe it is time to call out our current construction sector. It is (on the whole) delivering inappropriate buildings while lobbying to continue to do so under the false guise of affordability. The nation cannot afford this! We will need to fix every one of these inappropriate buildings and/or pay for the health and social costs created by them.
As the UK Architects Declare open letter says:
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The real struggle over the next 10 years will not be for notoriety or wealth but for something much more precious: whether we will maintain the respect of our children.
We should therefore be prepared for the question that will surely come: “What did you do when you knew?”
Envirotecture’s recent award winning True Zero Carbon research project “Little Pot Of Gold” posed the question: “Are we reaching for the stars, or are chasing rainbows?”, and explored how we can build better as a nation. The project focuses on a design for a family home that can work in any state capital city, can meet the Passivhaus standard, and be true net zero without a cost premium.
It looks at operational energy, upfront carbon, equity and affordability – and houses that are healthy for people and the planet.
The project was a keynote at the 2023 South Pacific Passivhaus Conference in May.
