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For example, there are clear bene ts when people have visual access to a natural vista, either real or through a photograph or other means. Recovery time after illness or accident, productivity in a workplace and learning outcomes in education environments can be measurably improved.
Regenerative design
In regenerative design, rather than aiming for reduced energy or water use or other environmental impacts, designers aim for built environ- ments to produce more ecosystem services than they consume. It is similar to the idea of net positive design.
Buildings act as producers of energy, water and habitat and as lters or sinks of pollution rather than contributors to the degradation of ecosystems and climate as is the norm.
Living Building Challenge
The LBC originated in the US and is a building certi cation programme similar to Green Star in New Zealand. However, its focus is more on regenerative design.
The LBC pushes designers to ‘ x the damage’ rather than just ‘do less harm’. It is now global in scope with projects in the US, Europe, Asia and Australasia including several in New Zealand.
To be fully certi ed, a building must demonstrate after a year of occupation that it:
● producesorcollectsmoreenergyandwaterthanitconsumes
● isnetzeropositiveintermsofwaste
● usesnotoxicmaterials
● ful ls requirements in terms of habitat exchange, equity and beauty
among others.
Buildings incorporating nature
Buildings that are ‘alive’ in some way may also utilise green roofs, living walls, water features and access to views, outdoor areas, natural ventilation and daylight.
Health-giving architecture
The growth in living building projects nationally and internationally may be due to the increasing urgency with which built environment professionals are responding to issues of climate change and biodiversity.
By aiming for regenerative design, even if only in parts of a project, sustainable architecture can become a health-giving vehicle to both people and ecosystems. This contrasts with the more traditional response of sustainable architecture simply working to reduce negative ecological impact.
Local living building projects
The Zero Energy House in Auckland was the rst LBC building in New Zealand, achieving net zero energy building certi cation in 2014. It was designed by A Studio Architects with the owners and eCubed Building Workshop.
The home produces as much energy as the people living in it consume over a year by using roof-integrated solar photovoltaic
panels and solar hot water panels along with other energy-reduction strategies.
Built in 2014, Tūhoe Tu Uru Taumatua in Taneatua, in which Jasmax and Arrow International were instrumental, is one of New Zealand’s rst buildings built to strict LBC criteria. Claimed by the architects to be ‘New Zealand’s most advanced sustainable building’, it is described as a culturally and environmentally rich project with a strong social drive.
Using net-zero energy and water to produce zero waste and no toxic materials, the building is mostly constructed from timber, 95% sourced from local forests with Forest Stewardship Council certi cation. The building has New Zealand’s largest solar electric array, innovative stormwater retention mechanisms, rainwater collection management, a purpose-designed botanical wastewater system and materials sourced as locally as possible.
Tennent Brown Architects in Wellington are also involved with Tūhoe building projects using LBC principles including a visitor centre in Waikaremoana. Two further projects are in development.
Several new LBC building projects are under way in New Zealand including an education centre on the Auckland waterfront for the Sustainable Coastlines charity.
Local networks
A New Zealand LBC Collaborative has been established in Auckland with over 1,000 people involved. Local groups have been formed in Wellington and Christchurch.
These networks are for built environment professionals to work together to understand and incorporate LBC principles into real projects, to share ideas and to seek collaborative opportunities. The groups also host international visitors and training seminars.
Declare label
Associated with the LBC is the Declare label, developed to enable people to specify non-toxic building materials as part of LBC projects. A Declare label lists the ingredients of a building product. Although a simple idea, it can be surprisingly di cult and time consuming to obtain this information from materials speci ers.
More than 30 New Zealand products have gone through certi cation with more in the pipeline – see www.declare.nz.
Meetup connecting people
In Wellington, local designers, architects, students and others have formed a Meetup group called Wellington Living Architecture. The group explores local and international innovations relating to living buildings and urban design. Experts and practitioners are invited to share their work and give practical demonstrations. Over the course of 2 years, the group has grown from a membership of a dozen to over 100.
Wellington biophilic map under way
Wellington Living Architecture teamed up with VUW School of Architecture and the Wellington City Council to create a biophilic map of Wellington City in 2016. Wellington is a member of the
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