The New Zealand Building Code and its perceived performance assumptions

One of the great mysteries I struggle with, is why people fight change, say they will only do it if they have to, and then complain that they are being told what to do. We need to treat change as a voluntary necessity rather than a prescribed requirement.

Our Construction Industry is no different. Complaining that our New Zealand Building Code is too low a standard and yet using the excuse of cost to keep status quo.

A quick recap on what a Building Code is, it is a set of approved pathways to demonstrate that a building legally complies with the Building Act. The Act was put in place to ensure the most basic level of construction to protect the public from poor buildings by scrupulous building providers. At no point does it demand a well-designed or well preforming home. Rather similar to a pass not being the same as an A in an exam.

Yet, that base line sets the performance results for (at a rough guess) 95% of all newly built homes here in New Zealand. The building code is doing an excellent job from a minimum legal standpoint, but from a performance view its failing. The problem is that while there is a pathway to build better in the code, the well-trodden path is by doing the very least, as its easiest and the most well-known. This result is then sold to the market as a quality home for everyday New Zealanders.

So, what do New Zealanders deserve? A comfortable, healthy and energy efficient home. One that justifies the huge financial investment of a deposit and regular mortgage repayments spanning up to 30 years. A home that is a wise investment financially and health wise. But they are not getting it.

There is a pathway to creating energy efficient homes in our Building Code. Its call Energy modelling and is a verified pathway under H1 Energy Efficiency. The most dominant used path to demonstrate energy efficiency is to rely on the Acceptable Solutions pathways namely the Schedule and Calculation methods that only use insulation levels. Heat loss is one element to consider when wanting a comfortable and healthy home with low power bills, but it is not the only element and needs to work in harmony with the rest of the building. And the issue with relying on only insulation levels, is that the designed performance of the building is never determined, but simply assumed.

There is no one silver bullet solution to addressing building performance, but the power of performance really does lie in the hands of the Architects, Engineers and Architectural Designers who produce the designs and energy calculations. So, it begs the question, why isn’t it already happening?

This has been my experience. Years ago, in the early days of my company start up, I did draughting work for housing companies. I would be handed a sheet with material specifications and insulation products all predetermined before I arrived on the project. It seems that until the environment in which Designers operate, trusts and allows Architects, Engineers, and Architectural Designers to make design and material selections, we will continue to have a reactionary design and consent process with decisions made by those who do not understand the performance or quality side, only the cost side.  

Those selections need to be supported by manufacturers and suppliers who understand energy efficiency and how it relates to their products. Innovation not only lies in the hands of Architectural Designers, but it also lies in the willingness of Manufacturers and Suppliers to step above the Acceptable Solutions pathway with their products.

So, while some wait for the silver bullet solution and for legislation to dictate what they need to upgrade, there are those who can see the changes that are coming and embracing them. The reasons for this are varied.

Ensuring that a business can still exist whilst anticipating the mandatory coming change. Some, like me, have strong sustainability principles and want to create a better environment for people and planet.

There will always be those who only do the very least at what they must do. They leave a gap in the market for those who can not only claim better performance and better quality, but who can prove it with data and results. Results are going to start to drive and demand change. Those results can be determined before a building starts construction on site right today.

When the consumer demands to know the numbers, the numbers will not lie. Legal is important, this blog was not here to dismiss this, but its high time it was not the only standard that we meet.

Because New Zealanders do deserve affordable well considered homes, not expensive rubbish ones.