Topic: Innovative Design Award

Re: Innovative Design Award 

uwillbe

I have taken for many years your prefered light handed approach and I tell you what everyone smiled at me and walked away and kept doing the same old thing.
In the last few years I have taken a more outspoken approach and I am in high demand by people who go nuts because their builders and architect ignored what they have specified. Some hate me for that but I get great feedback for speaking it out. Today I have spent my afternoon making a plan of action for a lady who specified a number of things such as perimeter insulation on the slab, insulation in the corners and internal/external joints and so on. The builder and architect bullied her with saying "you don't need it we won't do it"
Now this poor lady has to spend extra money to fix this flaws which are legal but bad practice.
You and others who prefer to wear the pink glasses are free to do so but the building industry needs to wake up and face the fact that a lot of things have gone wrong and need to be corrected. It is fact that a lot of proven know how is available from Europe and we should take advantage of this and put pride and nationalism aside to look at everything how it can be improved and how the best of different worlds can be utilized.
For example there are ways to build healthier houses with less treated timber just as it has been done for centuries.
I am in the design process of a very nice passive house which will be manufactured in Europe on computerised equipment. It is unbeatable when it comes to value for money. But I keep the ball low at this stage because I have learned in 15 years NZ building industry how it works. This time I want to get the rewards myself.

Re: Innovative Design Award 

GuessWhat - are you saying you are refusing to share your process and design with this forum - so you can 'get the rewards' yourself? Of all the places that your designs would be welcomed and appreciated, surely Ecobob is top of the list?

I find it a little strange you are usually one of the first to critique anyone elses designs, yet when push comes to shove and you are asked to front up with yours you cite the above as your reason for not doing so.

I for one, and I am certain there are many others, would love to know about this passive house design of yours. I am extremely eager to learn more about this area and I am sure there is plenty we could learn. But if you are not going to share, it kind of defeats the purpose of forums like this.

Re: Innovative Design Award 

I will publish all details when I am ready.
It's about the whole concept not patch work.

Re: Innovative Design Award 

For those that want to know more about passive house builders and methods in europe just spend a couple of minutes with our friend google and there are lots and lots of results, here are a few that took about 1 minute to find. I only looked at Ireland and UK but there would be many more in other parts of europe, particularly Germany and Sweden

http://www.passivehousebuilder.com/passive-house-build-services.html

http://www.greentec.ie/

http://www.ecoframesystems.com/home

http://www.viking-house.co.uk/

Perhaps Guess What has got a business relationship with one of these many companies. It may be possible to import a "kit house" from one of these companies...the harder part might be finding suitable builders to assemble it! Then again it may be economic to bring in a couple of European builders on a short term work permit??

Re: Innovative Design Award 

Of course everyone can search a passive house and import it.
I have shared things about passive housing in the past and all I got for it was c...... because it is a different but very advanced concept and it takes a radical different approach in detailing and workmanship. Some find it offensive to be asked too accept foreign know how on a larger scale.

Some examples for detailing without thermal bridges.
http://dataholz.com/en/index.html

Re: Innovative Design Award 

Congratulations Bob... Another nice light airy design for the sun. Nice touch with the insert of timber flooring defining the lounge area.
Do the high windows have some kind of blind to help from losing energy?
The Lyttleton townhouses with a similar glazing feature that you designed, have also performed very well with minimal energy use & having used the Cornerstone Building system of 4.3 R value for the wall structure and poly block for the retaining walls the indoor temperature is maintained.
This house also performed well in the earthquakes we have been through over the last year with the polystyrene absorbing the shock.
These clients are also very happy with the performance of their home.

Re: Innovative Design Award 

The house is so beautiful!