ENVIRONMENTALLY RESTORATIVE ARCHITECTURE

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ENVIRONMENTALLY RESTORATIVE ARCHITECTURE OR ARCH
ITECTURE IS A DYING PROFESSION Source
Paul Hawken
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GREENHOUSE GASES NZ

• In the 1990s in NZ, CO2 produced for energy use
  increased by 22.
• Contrary to our Clean, Green image, if the
  entire world lived like New Zealand we would need
  4 planets to sustain human life.
• Yet NZ has been ranked No 1 in the world terms
  of its environmental performance by the Pilot
  2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI).

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MATERIALS

• 40 of the 7.5 billion tons of raw materials
  annually extracted from the earth is used by the
  building industry.
• The rate of timber deforestation has almost
  doubled in the past 10 years.
• 25 of all timber harvested each year is used for
  construction.
• Buildings consume 40 of the worlds energy
  consumption and produce 40 of the sulphur
  dioxide and nitrogen dioxide that causes smog and
  acid rain

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WASTE

• New Zealand currently land fills sufficient waste
  to fill the Westpac Stadium 3 times over per
  year.
• New Zealand has signed the Kyoto Protocol but we
  have yet to meet any of the targets set including
  waste reduction.
• As long as we regard waste as being taken away
  we will not solve this issue. In nature Waste
  Food and we need to embrace that thinking.

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POPULATION

• In 1900, there were approximately 0.5 billion
  people on this planet.
• In 2006, there are approximately 6 billion people
  on this planet. That is a 12-fold increase.
• 1 billion of those use approximately 80 of the
  worlds energy
• It is estimated we will build more buildings in
  the next 50 years than we have in last 500 years.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

• Climate change is not a threat, but a
  scientifically agreed reality.
• The damage done to date may take hundreds of
  years to repair.
• Ignoring our impact on the environment will not
  make the issue go away.
• Climate change will be the first natural disaster
  which man-kind knew was coming.

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IN SHORT, OUR IMPACT ON THE PLANET IS NOW FAR
GREATER THAN AT ANY TIME IN HISTORY
POPULATION
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ENERGY EFFICIENT

• Low energy design strategies are normally
  assessed by their payback period i.e. the length
  of time it takes to pay back the cost of the low
  energy design
• computer energy modelling allows payback periods
  to be estimated with reasonable accuracy
• Today mechanical engineers can thermally model
  the design of a building

ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY HQ
Our present age of information and ecology
suggests an architecture of less substance and
more information, less exclusion and more
inclusion, less objectification and more
fragmentation, less Euro-centrism and more
cultural diversity. Source James Wine
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ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY
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LOW ENERGY STRATEGIES ARE NOT ALWAYS MORE
EXPENSIVE
PARAPARAUMU LIBRARY
ESPECIALLY THE LONGER THE BUILDING IS USED BY
OWNER
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HEALTHY BUILDINGS

• High levels of natural ventilation to improve
  internal air quality
• High levels of day lighting throughout the plan
• Good user controls to allow users control over
  their environment
• Low toxicity materials to improve indoor air
  quality

GLEN EDEN LIBRARY
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MATERIAL SELECTION

• Specify sustainable sourced timber (via FSC)
• Avoid the use of environmentally damaging
  materials PVC etc
• Support the NZ Environmental Choice labelling
  scheme
• Use durable materials and minimise paint finishes
• Note companies that are making an effort i.e.
  Interface, Resene
• Use locally manufactured products
• Use recycled materials or materials with recycled
  content

ALFRISTON COLLEGE
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WASTE MINIMISATION

• Waste Food
• Design using 100 recycled products e.g. carpets,
  fabrics, insulation, concrete
• Provide space for waste separation, waste
  recycling, waste storage
• Waste mining

RICCARTON LIBRARY
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WATER USE

• Low water use plumbing fittings
• Low water use equipment
• Rainwater collection and reuse
• Solar water heating
• Disconnection from potable water supply for all
  non-drinkable water.
• Water as a coolant and heat sump
• Water filtered and treated on site prior to
  discharge into public stormwater system

SOUTH CHRISTCHURCH LIBRARY
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SITE ECOLOGY

• Maximise biodiversity
• Retain valuable existing landscape and mature
  vegetation
• Use of local indigenous planting
• Stormwater management reducing erosion, flooding
  and loss of habitats
• Filter all stormwater on site for re-use within
  the buildings and landscape
• Maximise site location / orientation to reduce
  energy use

WHANGAPARAOA LIBRARY
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SOCIETY

• The act of building as practiced at present is
  the ultimate violent act, producing vast amounts
  of toxins, waste and on-going damage to the
  environment.
• Buildings should be sources of pride, of joy,
  rejuvenating the social and built fabric not just
  for humans but for the environment and the future
  generations to come.
• Life is right, and the architect is wrong.
• Architects and the building professions can
  change and be a source of inspiration in this Age
  of Ecology.

Virtually no form of shelter constructed today
can be credited as authentically green.
Everything that technologically dependent
societies assume is essential for survival as
plugged into the same diminishing sources or
power. James Wines
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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN?

• The benefits of sustainable design
  strategies can be categorised into three groups
• Future proofing
• Durability and flexibility
• Future energy targets
• Future health demand
• Political / marketing
• Bragging rights
• Brand loyalty
• Financial
• Running costs financially small,
  environmentally huge
• Staff costs financially huge savings

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WHAT DOES SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MEAN FOR THE
FUTURE?

• New ways of thinking about how buildings operate
  and are designed. A whole new series of design
  opportunities
• New buildings which have a beneficial / positive
  effect on the environment.
• This is

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AN ARCHITECTURE which is

• 100 self sufficient in power- in fact producing
  energy.
• 100 self sufficient in hot water supply
• 100 self sufficient in potable water in fact
  producing more water than it needs
• 100 free of toxins, VOCs and other irritants.
• Naturally lit, non air-conditioned
• All materials 100 demountable and recyclable.

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Mobbs House Sydney, Australia
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WHY?
After 11,000 years if building to protect
ourselves from the environment, the delicate
environment must now be protected from us. -
Source Dr Joseph Billelo, Ball State University
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Source Mum and Dad

• - Dr Joseph Billelo, AIA

WHY?

• We have no choice
• We want to create a viable future for the next
  generations
• It is a win-win scenario
• It will lead to wealthier and healthier
  communities and environments
• What will you tell your grandchildren you did at
  the beginning of the 21st Century?

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HOW?
Changing the mindset
from this
to this
- Source Dr Peter Cole, University of British
Columbia
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THE RESULT
Buildings as nett generators of energy,
manufactured from waste materials and which
improve the environment around them We call it a
new ERA Environmentally Restorative
Architecture