General Notes

Engineers use lots of computer modelling tools. It’s our professional responsibility to understand those tools well enough to understand their limitations and determine when they are sufficiently accurate. This accuracy (ie computer prediction matching reality) is essential to providing good competent advice. At the core of understanding are validation studies like the ones below: ASHRAE RP-1117 and the more recent …

Often when people talk about Passive House, they’ll focus on those things they can see and touch, like triple-pane windows or mechanical ventilation. But the core of the Passive House methodology is the part you can’t see: it’s the thermal energy model. That modelling is how the design team can make sure this young couple’s first home is going to …

Here’s a detailed but accessible write up about leaky homes that takes an international perspective. Written by Australian lawyers who specialise in construction law, it considers the risks emerging for Australia and compares it to the Canadian and New Zealand experience.  Lawyer Kim Lovegrove says increasing numbers of leaky apartments are coming to light in Australia. He notes that in …

Congratulations to Terry Bryers and the construction team for winning a fistful of awards: the Auckland/Northland/Coromandel Supreme Renovation of the Year award, the Renovation Over $1.5 million category, and a Gold Award. According to the Stuff write up, “While the house retains its original concrete structure, it looks and feels completely different. The judges described the renovation as “incredible” and …

The North Island is finally on track to have its first Passive House Premium home. Steven Hughes’ small but perfectly formed house in the Coromandel Peninsula has passed pre-construction review. That’s the first and most important hurdle to clear for certification. The Sustainable Engineering certifiers have reviewed all the documentation and analysis and have given an independent assurance that if …

PHPP matches quite well for monthly heating and cooling energy demand when compared to lots of dynamic energy modelling software tools. And it should, as the equations/methods in PHPP have been developed (and simplified) by reference to many dynamic simulations. The bar graph comparing the monthly heating and cooling energy demand has the PHPP as the rightmost bar. Note that …

It’s common for some non-residential buildings to be unoccupied for periods of time, during which the ventilation and conditioning is turned off. Schools and office buildings are common examples; think of after school hours each day or weekends where heating/cooling may be on only for 6 hours each day. In such circumstances, turning off ventilation and conditioning during the unoccupied …

Sometimes I take a look to see what’s going on in Massachusetts, just for old times sake. And look at this: the Winthrop Center is a Boston high-rise that will be the largest Passive House office building in the world. It’s a 211m high mixed-use tower with 75,000m2 of office space and 317 luxury residences, among other facilities.  I’ve worked on …

Writing for The Spinoff recently, NZGBC head Andrew Eagles takes to task the Commerce Commission’s findings into competition in the residential building supplies market. “Not only does our industry suffer from a reliance on the ‘tried and tested’, but this conservativism is backed by a risk structure that incentivises our building officials to be wary of anything new. Products commonplace …