Aside from the, (continually and largely ignored), urgent warnings from climate scientists, the current rapid and dramatic changing political upheaval in Europe has caused society to finally face the reality of, and need for, swift and fundamental changes to the usage, sources and security of its existing energy supplies.

New Zealand cities, especially Auckland, have traditionally been very low density, but it is now time to stop the sprawl.

Over the past few months there have been reports of multinationals and others coming to New Zealand to set themselves up to make use of our precious supply of green electricity. Are we asleep at the wheel?

Clause C of the NZBC has become extremely complex to navigate.

With a growing proportion of our new housing being constructed as medium-density dwellings, this former niche market is rapidly expanding to take in purchasers and occupiers whose primary experience is with the standalone residences they grew up in. This new form of living brings with it a need for a significant degree of re-setting of expectations, both desirable and undesirable.

Following on from last month’s general thoughts, I consider that there is an urgent need, as an important part of adapting for the future, for the building industry to go back to basics and revaluate the unquestioned assumptions upon which standard design and construction solutions were originally derived from.

While Climate Change is now accepted by most people, the solutions are not as simple as just giving everyone the symbolic electric car or bicycle. As the TV advert advises, “Good Things Take Time”, but also innovative forward planning is essential.

Compliance with NZ Building Code clause H1 (Energy Efficiency) is straightforward for new builds, but for alterations to existing homes it is more complicated and can give unexpected results.

For some time now, it has become settled that there is sense in planning for a future where photovoltaic (PV) panels will become a standard feature for new homes and major renovations, even though many owners are not prepared to install them ‘next week’.

Because of their high thermal mass, the thermal insulation of concrete and concrete block walls in dwellings needs to be treated quite differently to those with lightweight framed or panel walls.