Eco-Friendly Home
An example of a sustainable, healthy and environmentally friendly home.
The Mayor's Message
 Our pioneering past is something we're very proud of in Waitakere City.
Early last century our forefathers over-came great odds and laid the foundations for what is now the fastest growing city in New Zealand.
The building of this 'eco-friendly home' is yet another pioneering feat. It's also an example of how different groups of people can successfully work together to achieve one goal.
That goal was to create a home which was 'friendly' to its inhabitants and sympathetic to the environment in which we live.
This vision stems from a growing awareness that the homes in which we live, and the buildings in which we work, are not always as 'healthy' as we would like them to be. Sick building syndrome has been linked to respiratory problems, headaches and sore-eyes.
On the flip-side, not many people realise that around 20 per cent of Auckland's waste comes from the building and construction industries.
Reducing this mounting level of waste is critical if we are to avoid having to build additional landfills and marring our landscape and water systems.
Waitakere City Council is striving towards creating New Zealand's first eco city where sustainable, environmentally-friendly development and our residents' wellbeing are paramount. This eco-friendly home is just one step towards achieving that vision.
I applaud this project and encourage everyone interested in building and our environment to take on board the principles it embodies and support those involved.
The Sponsors
While Waitakere Properties Limited (WPL) -a division of Waitakere City Council -co-ordinated the building of the eco-friendly home, the company received major assistance from two key sponsors; Carters Henderson and Power New Zealand.
Carters Henderson
Carters Henderson's involvement was particularly fitting given the company's leading position in New Zealand's building industry.
Carters Henderson is committed to Waitakere City's environmental focus provided the eco-friendly home project with chemical-free, Pinex timber
(Laserframe) along with numerous other environmentally-viable products.
Carters Henderson is a member of the Carter Holt Harvey Group which supports innovation in the building industry. It is also continually striving towards creating better in-house efficiencies and better customer service.
Power New Zealand
Power New Zealand is delighted to be part of a project which shows a way forward to a better standard of living that is more in tune with our environment and less wasteful of resources. We'd also like to congratulate our partners, Waitakere City Council and Carters Henderson, plus everyone else who has contributed to creating this model home for the future.
Electricity is the ideal energy for everyone concerned about the environment -inside and outside the home. It's clean, it doesn't give off any gases or fumes and it's incredibly versatile. More importantly, more than 80 per cent of our electricity comes from renewable resources like geothermal and hydro-power.
However, we will all benefit from more efficient use of energy and the eco-friendly home demonstrates several new electrical technologies that do just that.
Even the most basic functions like heating, cooking and lighting have been revolutionised with new technologies like heat pumps, induction cooking hobs and electronic sensor controls. Electricity is and now an indispensable part of modern living, improving the comfort, convenience and enjoyment of almost every aspect of our lives and it just keeps getting better and better.
The Eco-Friendly Home Idea
 Waitakere Properties Ltd (WPL) was engaged by Waitakere City Council to project manage the eco-friendly home, develop a concept
brief and source relevant expertise to build it.
The aim was to create a home within the 'typical' budgetary constraints a new home owner or builder would face and deliver a final
product that not only met the Council's goals but was acceptable to the wider property market.
Early on in the planning process, WPL made a commitment that the end result be accessible to the wider community so people had
the opportunity to experience eco-living first hand. As a result, the eco-friendly home will be open to the public for six months from
completion.
WPL and the Council hope that during this time, those interested in building concepts and environmental issues will gain a better
understanding of how cost-effective, eco-friendly home principles can be adapted to everyday home living.
Eco-building principles
The Building Biology and Ecology
Institute of New Zealand (BBE) has established a set of eco-building principles based on extensive research
into this area. The following principles formed the foundation of the eco-friendly home's
concept brief:
Energy Efficiency
- design passive solar energy facilities for the home using concrete floor thermal mass and pumice underfloor
insulation
- strive for a thermal resistance for the roof of R3.3 and R2.2 for the walls
by using wool blend insulation
- study life-cycle analysis of all building materials
- use energy efficient appliances, solar panels and heat pump technology
- centralise plumbing, insulate hot water cylinders and 'lag' hot water piping
- consider resource efficiency, longevity of the building and strive for low
maintenance.
Water Conservation
- collect rainwater for external use i.e. garden/washing car
- use water conserving appliances including toilets, shower, taps, washing machine and dish washer
- reduce irrigation and surface water run-off .
Building Materials
- use sustainable, certified, toxic treatment-free timber
- select low volatile organic compounds (VOC) and toxic-free paints, finishes and adhesives
- use materials that permit the building membrane to 'breathe'
- apply natural floor surfaces such as tile, timber and linoleum
- use sustainable solid timbers rather than processed composite sheet materials
- use inert gypsum-based wall and ceiling linings.
Low Environmental Impact
- create indoor/outdoor links and user-friendly transition areas
- include water permeable landscape features
- enhance native bush and create edible gardens
- establish home recycling bins and garden composting.
Sustainability
- think globally -act locally
- reduce CO2 production, ozone and resource depletion, rainforest destruction and erosion
- encourage environmentally-friendly technologies and sustainable solutions
- assess the home according to the BRANZ Green Home Scheme
- assess the home according to the Project C&D Waste Minimisation Programme
- assess the home according to energy efficiency
- assess the home according to the BBE eco-principles.
Waste Reduction
- select materials using recycled components
- design for re-use and recycling
- control and reduce waste and packaging
- reduce resource consumption.
Health and Wellbeing
- meet the basic physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the home's residents
- consider healthy lighting, colour and sound, controlled temperature and humidity and good indoor air quality
to enhance the living environment
- reduce formaldehyde emissions and use pollution fighting indoor plants
- create an asthma aware home i.e. no fitted carpets, reduced ledges, low-allergen gardens
- apply an integrated wiring system for lighting, power, security, fire alarm and
audio facilities
- design a safe and user-friendly home
Economic Performance
- consider maintenance of the home plus initial 'running costs' pay-back period
- strive for a balance between ecological integrity and economic viability.
Community Support
- use local resources, skills, labour, crafts and art
- consider local facilities and utilities
- encourage community participation
- integrate the streetscape and neighbourhood in the project.
Note: While the end products chosen for the eco-friendly home demonstrate a balance of these criteria,
it's acknowledged that for individual home builders and renovators, product selection often boils down to
personal choice and availability.
The Design Philosophy
As already highlighted, the aim of the eco-friendly home project was to create
a family environment which was kind to nature, 'healthy' and sympathetic to the lifestyle of its occupants.
A dual aim was to create a home that appealed to the mainstream housing market and which fronted onto the road
in a welcoming manner.
Based on Reinhard's (and the BBE's) building principles, the selected design was
by Auckland architect, Paul Heather, who created a single-story 'court-yard' design
for the eco-friendly home. Paul studied and trained under the BBE and his design was
chosen from four possible plans.
Paul's design was deemed the most suitable for a number of reasons including appearance, layout, materials, site
suitability and weather conditions. The design detailed an indoor-outdoor home where three building wings surround
a "U" shaped courtyard.
Paul incorporated passive solar design concepts into the eco-friendly home to maximise its northern exposure
position. This was achieved by fitting windows along the northern side of the house and using tiling and concrete
flooring to ensure a stable climate inside the home, year round.
The integration of family, kitchen and dining areas on the northern side of the home offers maximum benefit to
family life.
The end result is a home with an open interior environment where rooms and space flow into one another enabling
good ventilation and privacy when required.
Developing the Design
A swaying factor in WPL's decision to go with Paul Heather's design was its emphasis on looking 'normal'.
WPL's project manager, Glenn Metcalf, says the home had to blend in to any suburban street.
"The home does incorporate a range of eco-friendly products and concepts," he says, "but on the surface it looks like
any standard New Zealand house. We wanted to show people that an eco-friendly home doesn't have to look
alternative to work and be cost-effective."
Once the design was decided on, the concept brief was put into action based on the
BBE's criteria.
The Concept Brief
The aim of the eco-friendly home was to create a family environment which was kind to nature, 'healthy' and sympathetic to the lifestyle of its occupants.
Auckland architect and director of the BBE, Reinhard Kanuka-Fuchs, was chosen by WPL to prepare a concept brief for the eco-friendly home and
evaluate proposals from a select group of architects. Reinhard had the added task of providing WPL with ongoing advice and support during the project.
Reinhard was appointed to these roles based on his extensive experience and expertise in the area of environmentally-friendly building. He not only has worked in the area of sustainable architecture, he has thoroughly researched and written about it.
Logically, the BBE's building principles highlighted on pages four and five, formed the foundation of Reinhard's concept brief for the eco-friendly home. Factors such as production methods, where products are made (i.e. homegrown versus international}, safety in the home and cost-effectiveness were all considered during the early planning
stages of the project.
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