Architectural Studio Reflection 2023
It is near the end of the year and the Architectural Studio of Smart Living Spaces is winding down for a well-deserved break.
I am not in the habit of blogging about the studio and its year, but given the amount of learning, change, and development the last few years have thrown at me, I thought it worth giving you all an update on progress to date.
As the year closes, I reflect on the amazing Architectural Journey that I have continued over the last 3 years. Among other highlights have been, becoming a Certified Passive House Designer last year, completing my Homestar Assessors training early this year, and joining the Industry Forum on Modern Methods of Construction.
As the new government has put a stop to all funding, the work that Smart Living Spaces was doing with the Industry Forum and Off-Site New Zealand sadly faces an uncertain future.
I was privileged enough to be on this group after attending the Off-Site Conference in June. My mission here is to bring my Passive House knowledge, Homestar experience, and Architectural skills honed over 24 years to help the offsite space develop in a future-focused and sustainable way. I to Scott Fisher, CEO of Offsite NZ, that the offsite space has the potential, if not correctly aligned, to speedily accentuate the problems that are becoming evident in our new buildings.
As our construction gets more and more airtight, we are starting to see moisture issues, it is a new leaky building crisis, but this time from the inside out. Coupled with ineffective ventilation and rising energy costs, as our buildings create more unhealthy conditions, we will see an increase in unhealthy humans.
As approx. 30,0000 children are hospitalized with asthma issues each year in our little country of 5.1 million, we must start making progress to ensure this number does not increase and the very least.
As costs of construction constantly are being challenged, I am reminded the height of insanity is not doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. It is now expecting the past result we have come to expect will not be as effective in the changing and challenging environment we find ourselves facing.
It is time we stopped using cost as the reason for doing things poorly. Building a poor-performing building is now becoming a liability rather than an asset. Like a petrol-hungry V8, it may become one of those collector's pieces, but only if pretty enough. There are plenty of old V8s in the scrapyard, are we prepared to do that with our homes?
We would not invest in the worst-performing portfolio with our retirement funds or Kiwi Saver, yet by continuing to produce energy-hungry and unhealthy buildings, we do just that.
I am hopeful that the work that I have started in the Passive House, Homestar, and Offsite Space will continue to grow and evolve next year in unexpected and innovative ways. And hopefully provide very real, tangible, and effective solutions to produce Architectural Design with People and Planet in mind.
And as I am a fan of Mantras, I close this year with a new Mantra.
Architects are agents of social change. And the process of architecture has the great potential to be the transformational change we want and need to create in this world starting today.