2023 Ready, Homestar, H1 and Carbon

Last week the NZGBC hosted a free webinar on Ready for 2023: Homestar, H1 and Building for Climate Change. The thing that struck me the most is that these changes aren’t necessarily hard to implement. One of the things I am grateful for in my Architectural Design practice, is that I accepted right from day one, improvement, innovation, and education are key to the continuing success of my business. We talk about business growth in terms of size, but for me it’s really been in skills, knowledge and systems that enable me to offer a better service and create a better result for my clients homes.

Now with changes in our New Zealand Building Code upon us, it does make me consider the perspective of those pushing back on changes. A friend recently sized it up perfectly,  “if you aren’t aware of the changes that are coming up, the recent H1 upgrade might seem worth pushing back on.”

The reality is our industry has needed a shake up in what and how we are creating for years now. Think of the success these Architects, Designers and Builders could achieve and value they could offer their clients if they invested in firstly understanding the changes and then finding ways of embracing them.

H1 is one of the first of many new changes we are facing. As we consider our thermal envelope in terms of energy efficiency, we need to also consider overheating, cooling and shading mechanisms and ventilation. For years H1 has been associated with insulation levels, but there is so much more to this. For years generic figures, product values and the “we did it on the last one so it must be fine for this one” attitude has gotten by.

Whilst the new schedule method calls for set construction insulation levels, energy efficiency is linked to building performance. NZGBC has put out a tool available freely to use the verification method to ensure that performance criteria with the changes can be met that are based on a project specific basis. The challenge is not as hard as some have loudly protested. And insulation is one of the cheapest building materials to install at construction, one of the most expensive retrospectively and can make a massive difference to the building’s performance over its lifetime. Get it right first time is a good attitude for a buildings thermal envelope.

A linked in connection sent me this recently, copied from a large housing companys recent social post “We build to code or whatever else is forced on us. Customers in the value for money bracket don’t pay much for extras. But if it was more cost effective …..”

We cannot wait for customers and clients to drive change, we need to educate them about what that change means for them and encourage it. Expecting those our industry serves to drive change is like expecting the crowd to make up for the poor All Blacks performance on the field.

For those focusing on fighting the change with the above attitude, this challenge of change is not going to stop. And if your business model isn’t accepting these changes and embracing them, the future of what you provide might very well be limited. The clients I speak to want better than minimum homes, they want better quality spaces for their families. They don’t want mouldy, ill-ventilated and cold homes, and our minimum code requirements still has the very real possibility to produce this. By educating those we serve and being honest with why, what and how much we can only make what we do better. How much is your health and comfort worth? How much is your children’s well being worth?

We wouldn’t accept this simply minimum performance on the field from our New Zealand All Blacks, yet we expect to be allowed a different standard in our industry. Building excellence means excellence, not basic minimal compliance. What do you want people to remember about your involvement in their homes?  

Invest in some training or education, there is lots of it out there and educate your clients. We aren’t going to be championed by doing the minimum.

I want to give a big thanks to Matthew Cutler Welsh and his team. The work NZGBC is doing in this space and providing tools to Architects and Architectural Designers to deal with change is fantastic. Also shout out to Sam Archer. Thank you both for all that you do.