Architecture design is regional.
How houses have changed. I was bought up in a villa in Epsom – open fireplaces, rattling single glazed window, no insulation. Really just a roof to keep the rain out.
I remember those cold winter mornings. I didn’t want to get out of my warm bed, but we did and survived. We put on wool in winter and cotton in summer.
Now I’m bombarded with healthy homes and passive home requirements. Airtight houses, super insulated, double glazed, thermally broken joinery, and 24/7 air conditioning.
This all makes sense if it snowed in Auckland, but it doesn’t, and, unlike Scandinavian countries, we Aucklanders like to open doors and windows and to be outside. We like fresh air and hate being enclosed inside. There is constant talk of inside-outside flow.
When you make your house airtight you need to mechanically have fresh air introduced in. Think of a mob hit. Plastic bag over your head, no fresh air – death. So, the passive house needs air conditioning to introduce fresh air, but this isn’t emphasised.
You can’t open a window with the air conditioning running because as it was explained to me, you are trying to air-condition Auckland.
With the efficient double glazing and insulation, we now face our houses overheating – especially if both partners work during the day. To combat heat buildup, we have always used skylights but now we use motorised opening ones with rain detectors in every house to purge the heat build-up. They come double glazed.
They are real value for money.
Auckland’s weather is different from the South Island’s. We have quick weather changes. Rain in the summer and sunny hot days in the winter. In-slab heating just doesn’t work in Auckland, but is perfect for the South Island. One year three clients wanted in-slab heating. One installed it and on a cold day turned it on. By the time it had warmed the floor slab the weather had changed. He never put it on again and the other two never completed the install.
Heat pumps are perfect for Auckland, with their quick response, but shouldn’t be treated as a heater, turning it off and on. When you do this, you are constantly paying to heat and reheat the house interior. Better to modify the temperature to suit the day. We reduce the desired temperature during the day and increase it in the evening.
I’m not against warm dry houses, but you need to consider regional lifestyle.
paul@leuschkekahn.co.nz | 021 894 895 | leuschkekahn.co.nz
