Passivhaus – a New Zealand adaption : an evaluation of New Zealand’s potential to adopt German energy saving standards for residential architecture

Abstract

New Zealand’s reputation as an ecologically advanced nation is brought into question when our architecture is assessed at an international level. The implementation of Green Star New Zealand has brought to public attention the need for environmental principles to become standard practice within the building industry. At present the scheme does not recognise residential buildings, which form one of the largest sectors of energy consumption in New Zealand. The apprehension of society to adopt the principles of energy efficient residential architecture have led experts to suggest that New Zealand is many years behind current practice in Germany, where buildings often generate more energy than they consume. New Zealander’s desire to attain the “Kiwi Quarter Acre Dream’ has been identified as the base of New Zealand’s energy problems, where heating and cooling of single family houses release excessive amounts of C02 into the atmosphere causing its degradation.

New Zealand lacks the distinction between ‘sustainable’ and ‘energy’ architecture that has been identified overseas. There is currently no built example of energy architecture which strictly regulates the Kwh/ (m2a) the building consumes. It is suggested that initiates formed in Germany such as the Passivhaus, which use highly insulated facades to eliminate the need for heating and cooling may have application in New Zealand.

The project aims to identify and compare the Passivhaus and the New Zealand Green Star standards to produce an amended set of principles that will act as a design template. Demonstration and testing of the way energy principles can engage with density and offer alternatives to inner city living will generate an opportunity for public exposure of new ideas towards sustainable intensification and energy efficient architecture. The application of the amended standards, design methods and rating the developed design against selected software will give both architectural and energy efficient results.