Sustainability
Principles of environmentally responsible design have underlined our design practice for over 20 years. The fact that these principles are now becoming mainstream is extremely encouraging. Sustainability is a large and ever expanding topic where we are constantly learning and developing our ideas. Through careful design we aim to create high quality environments for our clients with fresh air, good daylighting, relatively constant temperatures, efficient energy systems and healthy materials.
Below are several buildings that highlight areas that we have focused on over the last few years:
Wallace Marshall House
NATURAL VENTILATION, DAYLIGHT & SUN CONTROL:
Nelson Library is an example of a public building where we set out to maximise natural light and natural ventilation. We avoided the need for air conditioning through much of the building. It also incorporates efficient lighting.
Wallace Marshall House uses orientation, natural light, solar gain and sun control, ventilation and thermal mass. We wanted large areas of glass on this building but have also avoided over heating in the summer with large eaves and careful orientation of the house.
Elma Turner Library
Mellor House
THERMAL MASS AND INSULATION
This house on the Tahuna hills is similar to the previous but makes greater use of thermal mass to control the fluctuations in temperature. In all our houses we aim for high levels of insulation.
Woollaston Winery is a gravity fed winery. Dug into a hill side the large concrete structure has enormous thermal mass to ensure the building maintains a constant cool temperature. Turf roofs were also used to add mass and minimise run off.
Woollaston Estates Winery
Hop Kiln
REUSE OF EXISTING BUILDINGS
Adaptive reuse of older buildings is another important tool. The old Hop Kiln was redundant and the building has been refurbished as a small weekend holiday home.
From tiny to small - this Bach in Golden Bay involved adding 45m2 on to a 6m2 sleepout only a few metres from the edge of an estuary.
Golden Bay Bach
Network Tasman Offices
ENERGY USAGE
Network Tasman offices. Commercial offices where we have used efficient computer controlled lighting, aimed to maximise natural lighting into the offices, natural ventilation instead of airconditioning, thermal mass, efficient heating systems, water reuse.
Solar hot water heating used where ever possible. We have been involved with several projects using alternative power generation - hydro, photo voltaic cells
Bach
Strawbale Sleepout
MATERIALS
Careful selection of materials. Ideally locally sourced, non toxic, and sustainable. Also suitable for the context and the proposed use of the building. This small building incorporated straw bale, recycled tiles on the floor, macrocarpa ceilings. Sustainability, passive solar techniques, recycling, crafter detailing - all these principles are expressed in a no compromises way.
Strawbale Sleepout