BUILDING HOMES POST A PANDEMIC
Pandemic - by definition, an unfolding global event.
The latest pandemic to hit the globe was COVID-19. We witnessed multiple strategies from governments and multiple coping strategies for businesses and individuals alike.
Seeing these reactions hit me with a question - How will this pandemic shape the housing industry?
Changes to large industries can be slow, so there may be no instant “shaping”. Let’s tease the thought from an optimistic point of view; a view that with changes to values, lives and habits, our homes will change too.
Here are eight “shaping” predictions post-pandemic:
Energy-efficient/Passive House design principles,
Self-sufficient power and water,
Water and Filtration,
Home Office,
Urban Farming/Decentralised Food,
Support Local - Local Materials,
Improved Building Code,
Decentralised Generation
As you will notice, the “shapes” are already tried and tested ideas. These ideas can be introduced to all housing industry projects.
Energy-efficient/Passive House design principles
a. Orientation and Shading; The aim is to ensure that any solar gains will make a positive contribution without the risk of overheating.
b. Form Factor; The impact of complex shapes on efficiency and risk. A complex form will require a higher level of insulation.
c. Insulation and Thermal Bridges; Insulating for your climate, and detailing to eliminate thermal bridging.
d. Windows and doors; High-performance windows and doors are of high importance. Several materials meet the criteria.
e. Airtightness; It is a clear indication of a quality build and gives the ability to more accurately manage ventilation and moisture.
f. Ventilation; Mechanical ventilation is not mandatory, however, is an efficient and effective way to meet energy goals in both hot and cold climates.
g. Hot Water & Heating; Very little is required to heat. Keep the heating system small, efficient and simple!
Whether we are preparing for a pandemic, or not, there are many benefits to following the above principles.
2. Self-sufficient power
The COVID-19 pandemic caused great financial strain for a large number of our population - both locally and globally. People looked to their outgoings; subscriptions and bills. Some people opted out of sports television subscriptions, Netflix accounts (only to re-subscribe to watch Tiger King), and made other reductions to accounts like the internet.
Going forward we will see a lot more of the population willing to spend a little more upfront to make potential pandemics a lot more financially un-impactful.
A major player in this - other than better energy-efficient designs - will be photovoltaic panels (generally known as solar panels) and battery storage. Solar panels lower electricity bills and give clean, green power.
A lot of current builds use solar panels to reduce electricity costs for hot water cylinders.
3. Water and Filtration
Water filters can ensure that you are drinking clean, purified water.
Domestic rainwater harvesting systems collect rainwater and store it. It may be used for watering the garden or flushing the toilet, and with the right treatment, rainwater can provide for food preparation and drinking water. Rainwater can be easily collected using free-standing barrels or by linking directly to the gutter system of your home.
There are safety issues - you'll need to treat it or purify it. To do this, options include; adding chlorine, using a very fine in-line filter or purifier, boiling the water for one minute, or ultraviolet light treatment. We recommend seeking professional advice when planning this. Check with your local council, your local public health service, or your rainwater tank supplier for water treatment requirements and guidance.
4. Home Office
For those of us that could work from home during self-isolation, may have noticed some flaws in our current set up. Lack of natural light, cold office spaces (again, we point to energy-efficient designs), or areas with distractions (screaming kids, possibly?).
Now there will be more designers asked to have home office spaces higher up the priority list - avoiding the current thought of shoving a little office nook into the open-plan kitchen/living area, or under the stairs. Designers will be asked to include a stand-alone office space with sound insulation, a large window and enough room for those new priorities - a coffee machine, comfortable chair, printer, ample desk space, and a trendy backdrop for video conferencing!
Further down the line, we hope to see satellite internet access to everyone - Offering very quick access to the internet. OneWeb and SpaceX were already planning to cover the entire planet with this technology before the pandemic began. OneWeb has already deployed 40 of a planned 648 satellites into the Earth's orbit, while SpaceX's Starlink project forecasts the launch of 12,000 satellites into low orbit by the mid-2020s.
5. Urban Farming / Decentralised Food Networks
Self-isolation was made difficult when it came time to grocery shopping - Walking down supermarket aisles alongside people from other ‘bubbles’, felt like risky business.
A very exciting and simple system, which has been seen in Australia by a company; GROW Market Place, is decentralised food networks. Anyone that has available space, for a glasshouse, can join these networks. Residential properties, schools, universities, or business property (including skyscrapers) are all potential partakers. Naturally, a byproduct of this system is it offsets some of the carbon emissions that are innate to urban areas, where concrete and buildings outnumber greenery. Small scale, but positive!
With worsening economic conditions and an increased curiosity in organic and sustainable living, a large number of the population are turning to urban farming to complement their family diet. Food grown in the back yard reduces fuel for shipping or maintenance and gives oversight of what exactly was used to grow it. Supplemented with composting (a great way to utilise resources; lawn clippings and food scraps) your garden can become a beneficial source of healthy food and fuel for your family. With a lack of regenerative farming practices, vegetable gardens can be a superior choice for our health.
Did your grandparents not preach the pleasures of growing what you eat?
6. Support Local - Local Materials
If importing and exporting becomes difficult with longer wait times, increased costs and more scrutiny on biosecurity, we will begin to use more local products.
As a side effect of making this switch, we will realise there are benefits beyond pandemic effects for supporting local, including making products greener by cutting down on transportation distances, lower greenhouse gas emissions and creating a more resilient supply chain.
That being said, it does not make sense to ignore the recent developments in insulation, window glazing, and other modern materials that contribute to energy efficiency in buildings, even though some of these materials are not manufactured locally. New Zealand has some great products available now. One of the global hurdles is that money is currently being invested in things that provide the biggest return on investment, rather than the needs of particular communities.
Another point is that products grown locally are naturally best suited to the local environment; using these materials will inevitably give birth to more durable housing exterior cladding, along with reduced C02 emissions, and healthier buildings.
7. Improved Building Code
The consensus is that building a home to the New Zealand Building Code results in cold, uncomfortable and unhealthy homes.
There are 8 sections to the building code; A - Access, B - Stability (structure and durability), C - Fire, D - Access, E - Moisture (Internal and external moisture control), F - Safety of users, G - Services and Facilities, and H - Energy Efficiency.
Clauses within the Building Code refer to different NZ Standards. Ideally, the building code and these standards would be more in line with Passive House principles, or what we are seeing in countries in the European Union which are, in comparison, on a fast track to zero-energy homes. An easy start is insulation. The building code needs to see improved insulation requirements. R-Value is a rating used to measure how well a material can resist heat flow.
R-Value = Thickness (m) / Thermal conductivity (W/mK)
Therefore a higher R-Value product will keep a home warmer due to its ability to resist heat transfer. So how do we compare to the world?
8. Decentralised Generation
The documentary ‘2040’, directed by the talented Damon Gameau, spoke of decentralisation. Decentralised-generation technologies are very likely to play an important role in our future energy supply - It’s all about clean energy.
Energy is produced in close-proximity grids, instead of relying on large power plants that send electricity through large scale grids. Rooftop solar panels are a prime example of a decentralised system.
Essentially, everyone will produce clean energy - schools, businesses and anyone at home. These microgrids will give residents the opportunity for electricity trading, so you can buy, sell or share electricity with your neighbours.
Decentralised Food Networks and Decentralised Generation are related to the ‘doughnut’ theory. Kate Raworth is the brain behind the widely influential theory of Doughnut Economics and author of 'Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist'. Doughnut Economics is explained here https://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/
Final Note:
The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to help people - developers/home builders - to help define their needs in the early stages of the design process. While we continue to shape the world around us and rebuild our environment, it is important to continually strive to implement these methods (and future methods). Globally we are seeing increasing parallel ideals between humans and planet earth; what is innocuous for us, is innocuous for planet earth.