Green Building: Cutting carbon-embodied emissions
5 May, 2021 05:00 PM
3 minutes to read
By: Graham Skellern
Warren and Mahoney has launched a three-year PhD study to produce a framework for reducing carbon emissions in the design of buildings.
The thesis is titled: Starting a new paragraph in designing low carbon architecture in New Zealand.
Fiona Short, associate principal with Warren and Mahoney, said if we are to reach our climate change targets in New Zealand and internationally, we need to understand the full picture of embodied carbon in buildings (emissions associated with building materials such as steel, concrete and carpet). At present the industry focus is on operational carbon use, but as our buildings become more energy efficient the carbon emitted to create the materials becomes more important.
Kate Jensen at the Dwellington Hostel, where she lives in a shared bedroom.
In March 2018, homeownership was at its lowest in almost 70 years. Since then the median price has almost doubled and rent is up by a quarter. Stuff’s
Off the Ladder series talks to those priced out of the market. When Kate Jensen, 58, goes to sleep at night, she may wake up to seven new faces in her bedroom. The marketing honours student has called an upmarket hostel home for more than a month and is in no rush to put her name on a flat lease.
ROSA WOODS/Stuff
Dan Saunders Construction/Haven
Solar panels and prefabricated insulated wall panels are just two of the energy-efficient features in this Riccarton Superhome.
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It s important to ask the right questions to ensure you find a builder who takes sustainability seriously. Follow our guide below to make the process easier. There are lots of environmentally friendly ways to build or renovate – from using recycled or sustainable materials, to incorporating passive solar design, which makes use of the sun for heating and cooling to minimise energy use. But finding a builder who has sustainable values can require a bit of research. I know, because we are currently looking to upgrade our spare room (housed in a tin shed attached to our house).
JOHN BISSET/STUFF
Sue Boyce was unable to afford home ownership after her divorce, but is now happy living in a tiny house she and her son built.
In March 2018, home ownership was at its lowest in almost 70 years. Since then the median price has almost doubled and rent is up by a quarter. Stuff’s
Off the Ladder series talks to those priced out of the market. It was a year after her divorce that Sue Boyce says she realised she would never own another home. She was 51, had five children to care for including two foster children, and wasn’t able to get enough equity out of the family’s farm when it was sold to get back on the ladder.
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