Chilled Beam Article Reivew and Trip Wrap Up

The article that I chose to review was titled “Chilled Beam Ceiling Systems Promise Energy & Maintenance Savings” and it was written by Alla Katsnelson for a facility maintenance publication. I chose the review this article because we were able to see the chilled beam system in multiple places we visited on our trip and, since I am currently working in the HVAC business, they are something that Is very interesting to me.

The article starts off by stating that chilled beams have been used in the European markets for over a decade but they are just starting to show up in the United States. This was the first question I had about chilled beams when I encountered them because I had never seen this system in a U.S. building. It says that chilled beams can provide energy savings, reduce mechanical noise and improve indoor air quality. All of which are very important factors that are considered by building owners, developers, corporations and facility management professionals.

The chilled beams can be installed during new construction, renovation or during a building retrofit. There are two main types of chilled beam systems: passive and active. The passive chilled beam is simply a casing with a cooling coil inside of it. The water circulated through the coil is kept at a temperature between 59 and 63 degrees Fahrenheit and as the air in the room passes by this coil the heat is absorbed by the coil and then air is in turn cooled off. This resulting cool air is less buoyant than the surrounding warmer air and it is turn flows back down in the space which causes a gentle air circulation throughout the space where the beams are present. The active chilled beam requires a direct air supply in to the beam that is generally supplied by the buildings primary air handling unit. In this system warm air is passed over the cooling coils and then supplied to the space through air diffusers. The main advantage of this system is the humidity control that is achieved through the use of an air handling unit.

According to Alla, chilled beam technology has proven itself to be more energy efficient than conventional HVAC systems and it reduces cost and material required through the elimination of a significant amount of the ductwork system. In addition, the chilled beam systems use warmer water than conventional water cooled HVAC systems and this adds to the energy savings. Neither passive nor active chilled beam systems have moving parts so they typically have long usage times and low maintenance costs. They can be incorporated in most open ceiling layouts or hidden inside of a perforated ceiling system. The only concern or challenge involved with the use of chilled beam systems is the precise humidity control required to avoid condensation. This is especially true in buildings that utilize a large amount of natural ventilation or have to switch back in to an “occupied” mode at the beginning of each work day or after a weekend in which the space was unoccupied. However, this challenge does not have to deter buildings from using chilled beam systems since there are simple ways to achieve humidity control without the use of a large central HVAC system.

The facts all point to chilled beams being a great option to incorporate in to buildings and I am very surprised and somewhat angered that more buildings in the U.S. are not using these systems. From a sustainability standpoint the chilled beam systems are much more sustainable that conventional HVAC systems. They require less material to make, have a longer useful life, are more energy efficient and can allow buildings to use a smaller primary air system which will use less energy to run. In my mind it is a no brainer that we should be using these systems in the states and I plan on doing some research when I return from the trip to figure out why this isn’t the case.



Our trip has come to an end and I will be jumping on a plane in the morning to head back home. I have had an amazing time on the trip and I am very happy that I decided to come on it. I made some great new friends and feel like I am going back home with a great new perspective on international development and how they are approaching and handling the sustainability equation. Overall it seems like New Zealand and Australia are ahead of us in the incorporation of sustainability in their homes and the general acceptance of sustainable practices. However, I do believe that the U.S. commercial market is well situated with the LEED system and we seem to have a bigger push to make our existing buildings operate more efficiently. Hopefully the push to become more sustainable in the commercial market will cause our citizens to try making their homes and daily lives more sustainable but I am not very optimistic about this happening in the near future. Regardless of what happens with our market I know that this trip has opened my eyes up more to sustainability issues and I plan on trying my best to incorporate sustainability in to my personal and professional life in the future.

January 13th, 2011



We started our day off by meeting with Steve Nichols at the “167 Castlereagh” project. Steve is the project developer for Grocon, who is one of Australia’s leading sustainable developers and is also part owner and GC on the 167 Castlereagh project.

The building is a 50 level office tower with a private residence on the top level. The development of the project started in 2000 and the building will be valued at approximately $800,000,000 at its completion. The project design was awarded a Green Star 5-star rating and they were going for a 5-star as-built and NABERS rating as well. The project also included some attached retail buildings and Steve told us that they were going to try to make these buildings the “greenest” in the world. In order to achieve this they were going to incorporate systems that would allow the buildings to make enough energy to run without power from the city grid and they were also going to use a closed loop water system. I think this is a great plan because, if successful, it could prove that commercial buildings could support themselves just like Michael Mobb’s residence and it could serve as an example for other sustainable commercial developments in the future.

ANZ Bank and Freehill Law Firm are the two major tenants in the building and Steve told us that they have been very supportive of the sustainability of the project and care very much about occupying a sustainable space. I think that this private company push to move in to sustainable buildings is fantastic and will really drive the market to build more environmentally efficient product. It is something that you are starting to see with a small number of the US business but I think that if more companies would get on board with this than we could really push green building forward with market forces and stop the government from having to push everyone in that direction.

The building obviously has many sustainable features but I have listed some of the major items that Steve highlighted below. First off, during the demolition of the existing site structure they were able to recycle 95% of the materials. This is a very impressive number and stopped a huge amount of waste from going to a landfill. The building was going to be ventilated with 150% of the fresh air that is required for the building. This means that the air inside the office space is going to be very fresh and it should help improve indoor air quality and the productivity of workers, which both major tenants are very concerned with. The fresh air is going to come in to the building through a large scoop like feature at the top of the building which faces the direction of the prevailing winds. Steve told us that they are also researching the ability to put a wind turbine in this space in order to create energy from the wind collection that could then be used to power the building. I think that this is great and innovative idea that really maximizes the sustainability of the fresh air feature of the building. Steve said they were also researching the placement of solar panels on the roof of the building which would have the same effect at the wind turbines. For power generation and cooling the building was going to utilize a tri-generation plant and high-efficiency chillers that would supply chilled beams in the building. These are two things that we have heard quite a bit about in Australia and I think they could work very well in the US market. The building was also going to use smart lighting controls and sun tracking systems in order to keep the heat load of the building down. As we’ve seen on virtually every project on this trip, the building was also going to harvest its rainwater.

I was very impressed with the project presentation and the project itself. The big thing that I took away from the meeting was that if you connect green motivated tenants with innovative sustainable developers / builders that you can achieve some very great sustainable results in the commercial market. Hopefully this trend will catch on in the states and market forces will keep pushing the green development movement forward.



The second site visit of the day was at the “30 The Bond” building. We were hosted by Matt Williams, who is with the builder / major tenant of the building, Bovis Lend Lease. This building was one of the first green certified buildings in Australia and it has a 5-star design, as-built and NABERS rating. The major feature of the building is also one of the sustainable aspects of the building. This feature is a huge sandstone wall that runs from the bottom floor to level 4. The was was cut by prisoners hundereds of years ago and according to matt it was one of the biggers walls of its kind in the world. It actually acts as a very large thermal mass to suck up a lot of the building heat and the air draft that it creates is used to cool the parking structure under the building. It is a very neat visual building feature and just another example of the multitude of ways that you can use innovative features to create sustainability. The building also contained many more sustainable features including chilled beam cooling, raised floor ventilation, adjusting window louvers, recycled content fixtures, open air office suites and a green roof. It was a very impressive structure that I believe any U.S. or international company would be happy to work in and proves those wrong that believe building sustainable will take away from the appearance of your building.

Matt told us that the real beauty of the building was that it achieved some great sustainable goals without having to incorporate a bunch of exotic building systems and I have to agree with him on this. I think there is a real feeling that in order to do a sustainable project that you have to do a bunch of extra work and incorporate a bunch of systems in your building that you wouldn’t normally use. This feeling is not correct and the 30 Bond project proves again that with some thought and innovation that we can build sustainable buildings without having to jump through hoops or add crazy features to our building. Matt also told us that he feels that being inside of a sustainable office has motivated himself and some of his co-workers to act more sustainably outside of work. This is a great by product of a sustainable building and I believe that this effect will be multiplied as more sustainable buildings are introduced to the public.

January 12th, 2011



Our first visit of the day was to speak with Matthew Hyder with Legacy Property. Matthew was originally from Ft. Worth but had married an Australian and had moved back to Australia to work for the second time. Legacy’s main focus was on the residential market and they had spent the last 18 months performing due diligence consulting for banks with distressed assets.

During Matt’s presentation he highlighted the differences between development in Australia vs. the US. He told us that the majority of property is sold through auctions and that this made the purchases and strategy of up front property development much different than the US private treaty sale process. In accordance with this, Australians are very inclined to own versus rent property and they have to fight hard to purchase their first home through this auction process. He also told us that the approvals process is much slower in Australia because of the multiple levels of government approval needed and the increased focus on the environment. As for the design, he told us that almost all properties in Australia are smaller (apartment SF and total development size) and that the local councils are much more involved in the approval of your overall building design. Finally he told us that the lending process is very similar that the US process right now but the cap rates are much lower because of yield compression and the taxes different with Australians not being able to deduct mortgage interest from their property taxes. While this information didn’t pertain to sustainable development it was very interesting to me because of my background in construction and real estate.

Along with general real estate topics, Matthew also touched on sustainable development in Australia. He explained the “BASIX” system, which is a residential sustainability baseline that all residential projects must meet in order to be constructed. He said it came around in 2005 and has worked out very well for the residential market. He also explained the “NABERS (National Building Environmental Rating System)”, which is a rating system for the energy and water usage of commercial properties. All commercial spaces in Australia must have their buildings rated and in accordance with the “Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act of 2010” they must include these ratings in any property advertisement or listing. I think that this system of rating all commercial spaces and disclosing this information is a great idea for multiple reasons. It obviously causes everyone to figure out exactly how efficient or inefficient their space is and where they can improve. It also informs that market on how efficient a space is and in turn if tenants stop renting space that is rated very inefficient than owners will be forced to make their space more sustainable which is a great result. Lastly, this rating system can give the city planners and developers a map of how sustainable areas of the city are and where there might be an opportunity to gain some efficiency with new development or redevelopment. I wish this system would be introduced in the US so that our market could figure out how inefficiently the majority of our buildings are and then hopefully cause more existing buildings to improve their efficiency.

During the afternoon we met with Robin Mellon, who is the Executive Director of Advocacy and International Relations for the Green Building Council of Australia. Robin was obviously very versed in sustainable development and gave us a great presentation on the green building status in Australia. He told us that, similar to the USGBC, the mission of the GBCA is to rate, educate and advocate sustainable construction and development in Australia and they currently have 900 members and 60 employees. They use a system known as “Green Star” to rate their buildings and it has 9 categories that are very similar to LEED’s system but more defined. Robin told us that, to date, they have 292 certified buildings in Australia and there are 510 projects that have registered or are under construction with certification as a goal. Robin also explained the design certified versus as-built certified process and after hearing his explanation and reasoning behind its use I actually feel quite a bit better about it and feel that the LEED system could possibly benefit from its use. The benefit would come from more buildings being designed with sustainable features and in-turn incorporated in the building. Even if the buildings didn’t incorporate all of the designed sustainable features just using some of them in the building would be better than using none. Robin also told us that they are looking at putting an expiration date on the design certification, which I believe needs to be done so that people can’t just design a sustainable building and have the building get the good will and publicity from this when the building wasn’t actually built as a sustainable structure.

As for the cost of building a certified sustainable building, Robin told us that their current number show that is costs + / - 2% more to construct a 4-star building and + / - 5 % to construct a 5-star building and that they have seen these numbers come down each year. This trend is also being realized in the US right now and I feel that with more experience and thought being applied to building sustainable the cost will continue to drop. This is very important because most people, including myself, believe that you won’t see a huge push to build sustainably until the costs are the same as building conventionally. Robin said that he believes both the government and private market should drive the green development movement and that the feels the Australian government and market have done a good job of doing this. I go back and forth on this topic because while I would love for the market to drive sustainable development I think that the market will not move to sustainable development fast enough and the government is going to have to force the issue some. The US governments are starting to push sustainable development with their policies and I think that if they use the Australian government’s tactics then they can successfully work with the market to spur more sustainable development. To end the visit Robin showed us around their 5-star rated office interior which used lighting controls, fresh air ventilation, worm farms and a blackwater recycling system. I was very impressed with the office features and how seamlessly many of them worked in the office environment. Overall it was a very informative and entertaining visit and I feel like I got a good amount of useful knowledge out of it.

January 11th, 2011



Dr. Forgey had provided our class with a book on the “Sydney Sustainable House” and we had been discussing this house as a class since we were going to be visiting it for a tour with the owner, Michael Mobbs. I was given the chapters on working with contractors / consultants and the costs of the project to read and present to our class.

The chapter on working with contractors and consultants said exactly what I thought it would say and presented very good directions on how to work with these parties during the planning / construction of a sustainable home. Mr. Mobbs stated that the first step in this process is trying to find a contractor that has performed sustainable work before and then visiting these projects to see the results. This is a very good idea because it will give you confirmation that the contractor you are selecting is capable of performing the work to your desired level. Michael also listed a couple major actions that helped him during the construction of his home. These actions were to put your goals in writing in the contract and involve all project parties in the project meetings, regardless if they are completely involved in the main focus of the meeting. He said that it was important to clarify the contract language so that you could understand it and that you should not let someone else force their ideas of sustainability of your project. Michael also stated that you should pay close attention to your consultants advice to make sure they are not shifting responsibility away from themselves and that the bid process is a good way to check your contractors understanding of the project goals and your own understanding of what you want to achieve.

Mr. Mobbs started the project cost chapter with a statement that “costs are the single most important part of a sustainable project.” He said that you should figure out all of the operating costs of the house systems before you construct them so that you can figure out your payback time and make decisions on what measures are worth the money, time and effort involved to include them in your project. The Sydney Sustainable House renovation cost Michael $48,000 in 1996 and he estimated it would cost him around $25,000 to complete now. He said that the costs to build sustainable is going down but that it was still more expensive than conventional construction and that people would not fully buy in to it until the costs were equal. In this chapter he also spoke about his operating costs and proved that living sustainable can save you a significant amount on your bills and in the end would pay you back for the higher upfront cost involved in building sustainable systems in to your house.

When we showed up at the Mr. Mobbs house I was a bit shocked because the book made it look like a much nicer house than it was in person. That being said, Mr. Mobbs was an incredibly nice host and the house visit was very interesting. Mr. Mobbs told us that the house was completely self sufficient and had not drained or supplied any water to the municipal water system since its renovation 14 years ago. He also told us that the solar panels on his roof supply more energy to the house than it consumes and that he actually supplies energy back in to the power company’s grid during the day. The rainwater was all collected then used to supply the houses potable water and the wastewater is used to supply the houses non-potable water and to water the garden. We got a full tour of the house and Mr. Mobbs did a great job of explaining all of the homes systems and how it was a fight to build sustainable but that the reward for doing so made it well worth the fight. I think the thing about the house that I was most impressed with was the zero impact of the house and how he had maintained this for such a long period of time. It stands as a great example for everyone that you can build sustainably and that the effects can be realized long after the new home or renovation smell has left. I think I would have put a little more effort in to the appearance of the house but Mr. Mobbs seemed to be happy in the space so more power to him.



Following our visit to the Sydney Sustainable House we stopped by a development in the same neighborhood known as “One Central Park.” This was a very cool looking mixed-use development that was designed by some famous architects from different parts of the world. They are currently constructing the first two residential towers of the project and the models they showed us were very impressive. The project was going for a 6-star rating and had a zero net carbon goal. It was incorporating a rainwater harvesting system, a blackwater recycling system, a tri-generation power station, a green roof, a vertical garden façade and a solar panel system that is set up to track the sun. The project is also a redevelopment of an existing run down section of town and is going to incorporate transport, recycling and efficient appliances to achieve a more sustainable function for the development and its tenants. Residential / Multi-family buildings are very difficult to get certified as sustainable structures but this development proved that it can be done in the right market and ownership structure. It was a very impressive looking development that will hopefully get a lot of good press so other developers in the part of the country and beyond can see a great example of a sustainable residential / multi-family project. I think this is very important because in my opinion housing people in sustainable buildings is the easiest way to expose them to sustainable living which can in turn cause them to become more sustainable in their everyday lives.

To end the day we took a trip down to the Bondi Beach area and did the coastal walk around along the cliffs of around 5 parks and beaches. The weather was a little gloomy but the views were great and I was happy that I made it over to Bondi since it is one of the most famous beaches in the world.

January 10th, 2011



Welcome to Sydney mate!

We got in to town on Sunday night and made our way to the hotel by train, which was a pretty neat experience, since I had never ridden on a true underground subway type train before. First thing Monday morning we headed off toward Darling Harbor and went to see the harbor bridge and the Sydney Opera House. The walk down to the harbor was very scenic and both attractions were very cool to see in person but I was a bit surprised by the opera house. It was very dark white and yellowish in color in person and was not that brilliant white color that you see in pictures. That being said, it was still a very cool looking structure and I was excited to get to see it up close since I had seen it in pictures so many times.

Following our sightseeing we had lunch in Chinatown and then took the train to the “Power House Museum” to view the “Ecologic” exhibit. This exhibit was very interesting and featured information and examples of sustainable practices and their impact on the environment. The exhibit had information on all levels of sustainability and presented this topic from a very macro to a very micro level. It featured an energy efficient house model that you could interact with presented a large amount of information on the effect that our daily human living habits have on the environment. I believe these types of exhibits are very important because the general population, including myself, have very little knowledge of how destructive our actions are and can be on the environment. I am definitely not a super environmentally conscious person but the more I see things like the Ecologic exhibit and receive information on these topics the more I think about my own actions and how I can improve them to become a more sustainable person.

The exhibit also featured an interactive model of the “Sydney Sustainable House” that we are going to be visiting on 1/11/11 so it tied in very well with our trip. The model gave a demonstration of the solar energy system that powered the house and the closed loop water system which was very cool to see demonstrated in advance of our visit to the house.

It was tough to leave the green and peacefulness of New Zealand behind for the business of the big city of Sydney but it was really neat to visit the harbor area and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of Sydney and meeting with some more individuals involved in sustainable development.

January 7th - 9th, 2011



We arrived in Queenstown in the early morning and could not check in to our hotels so we had a nice brunch and walked around the city. The city is easily the most scenic place I have ever been to in my entire life and reminds me very much of a Colorado ski resort town.

We did not have any school obligations to attend while we were in Queenstown so it was a complete weekend of sightseeing and leisure activities. We started off these activities by heading up the gondola to the top of the mountain overlooking the town. It provided us with an unbelievable view of the surrounding area and we were also able to ride some mountain louges at the top, which was a blast. On Saturday we started the day off by taking a jet boat ride up the Shotover River. It was probably the nicest river I have ever been on and the boat ride was a real thrill. That afternoon John Martini and I headed outside of town to ride dirt bikes. My dirt bike riding was ended fairly quickly because of a little spill but I was able to hop on a quad and enjoy an incredible ride through the mountains.

We spent Sunday lounging around the town and taking in the beautiful scenery one last time. I had a great time in Queenstown and hope I can make it back there in the near future!

Next up…..Sydney, Australia! Time to put another shrimp on the barbee : )

January 6th, 2011



It was time to head back to Auckland but we had to stop at the University of Waikato on our trip back so Dr. Forgey could give a speech on the UTA Sustainability program to an international group of sustainability professors. While Dr. Forgey spoke our group headed over to the Hamilton Gardens to view their sustainable garden attraction.

The garden was a very impressive development and integrated local tribal features with a very diverse collection of plant and crop species. The garden was all self sustainable and used items such as live composting and rainwater collection to maintain its health. The plant beds were all laid out in a very attractive fashion and each planting area was labeled with placards that provided information on what you were looking at. While the sustainable garden didn’t apply directly to my academic area of interest, it did provide a nice morning activity that proved that sustainability doesn’t have to apply to only real estate of construction. There are sustainable actions that you can take in many areas of your life and many of them are not that difficult to undertake.

 



Upon arriving in Auckland we dropped our bags at the hotel and drove in to the town’s central business district to view the “Britomart” development. At Britomart we met with the development manager for Cooper and Company, Sarah Ballyntyne, and the lead construction supervisor. They explained to us that Britomart is actually a collection of 17 buildings that occupy a two block area of the Auckland CBD. It is a complete mixed-use development that incorporates office, retail, residential and transportation space. The specific buildings that we toured were known as the East 1 and 2 buildings and they were new office space that was on the verge of being completed. These buildings were very nicely done and had achieved 4 and 5 star green design ratings from the NZGBC. Some of the green or sustainable elements that they possessed were a rainwater harvesting system, the use of low VOC materials, public / bike transportation facilities and an extensive recycling facility along with some other sustainable design elements. I was very impressed with the buildings and really liked how they built incorporated the public transport system in to the building so workers have an easy alternative to driving in to the office. However, there was one issue that I have with the NZGBC process that was presented by these buildings. While they were designed to a 4 and 5 star level they did not have to be constructed to this level. I think that this is a bad way to handle the green building certification process and believe that if a developer / architect is going to design a building to these levels than they should be required to build the projects to these levels. That being said, they were at least incorporating some sustainable aspects in to the buildings and overall the development was very well done. Hopefully any of the future buildings that go up in the development will be both designed and built as sustainable structures.

Our time in Auckland has come to an end and it has been a real pleasure. Tomorrow we are headed back to the airport and flying down to Queenstown, New Zealand, which is on the South Island and is known as the “Adventure capital of the world.” It should be a blast and I am definitely looking forward to it!

Janurary 5th, 2011

The day started off with a very pleasant ferry ride from Waiheke Island back over to Auckland. Once we arrived in Auckland we rented vans and headed off for the town of Rotorua. In Rotorua we ran in to the same holiday issues that we had run in to previous days but we were able to set up an appointment at the city’s aquatic center.

The aquatic center was not constructed as a full sustainable building but they did utilize the incredible amount of underground heat, provided by the areas large geo-thermal base, to heat the facilities water. The facilities employees had also taken steps to make the actions of the center more sustainable. The steps included the use of an on-site recycling program, the planting of an on-site vegetable garden and the tracking of water usage and turnover for the facility. The center representative that we met with told us that these things were all done at the urging of the employees themselves and that she felt the whole town of Rotorua was really getting on board with the “sustainable lifestyle”. This visit showed our group that with a little thought and effort that sustainability can be practiced even if your building wasn’t built as a sustainable structure. There are many actions that can be taken by building occupants to reduce waste and be more environmentally friendly.

Following our site visit we grabbed a quick lunch and then a group of us guys hopped on a sea plane for a scenic flight over the area. It was an incredible flight that gave us a look at the area’s largest volcano, exotic geo-thermal pools, multitude of incredible lakes and vast amount of beautiful farm and forest land. It was my favorite part of my trip thus far and probably one of my favorite vacation moments of all time.

It was another great day spent in New Zealand and I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come on this trip!

January 4th, 2011

Waiheke Island Day! This is one of the days on the trip that I was looking forward to most. We tried to catch the 8:00 am ferry to the island but because of the holiday schedule it didn’t leave until 9:00 am so we rode over to Devenport for breakfast. Following breakfast we hopped back on the ferry and cruised on to Waiheke Island. When we got to the island we rented scooters to cruise around the island. We had tried to set up site visits for our time on the island for the past few weeks but because of the holiday we were unable to get anything set up and had to settle for just scootering around the island.

After dropping our bags off at our hotel we set off to see the island. The areas of New Zealand that I had seen up to this point were amazing but this island was above and beyond anything I had seen. Everything was incredibly gorgeous and the scooters were a blast to ride around once we got comfortable with riding on the opposite side of the road.

While we weren’t able to visit any sustainable sites on our visit we did get some education on sustainability on the island from the owner of our hotel. He told us that virtually every building on the island was on a septic system and collected their rainwater. He also explained the rainwater system that was being used at the place we were staying and a number of other sustainable practices that they use including the home growth of some of their food and the use of all environmentally friendly cleaning products. It was a very informative discussion that gave our group a good first hand look at how some New Zealand natives are living sustainably and reducing their impact on their beautiful surrounding environment.

We were also able to discuss some sustainability issues during dinner. Loretta Burns posed the question of how to get the community involved in sustainable efforts and I think it is a question that everyone involved with sustainable work needs to consider. Loretta works with at-risk kids in an economically depressed part of Ft. Worth and was asking for advice on how to get people to start living sustainable when they are currently just trying to survive. There were quite a few opinions given on the topic but in the end I think we all agreed that there is no simple answer to this question and that low income areas are probably some of the hardest places to get people to live more sustainably. Each area and arena that you try to bring sustainable practices in to is going to be different and will have its own set of unique challenges. I think the big keys to getting a sustainable program started are the act of starting it and then educating the people involved. Regardless of how much activity you start with it can start to snowball if the people get involved and see that living sustainable doesn’t involve a huge amount of effort. This growth can be even greater if the people involved are educated on the effect of living sustainable and how they can do their part. That being said, I think that trying to incorporate sustainability is a mostly uphill battle that takes a lot of time and effort from the coordinator or leader to be successful, especially in the early stages.

All in all is was a fantastic day that was made even better by the first hand encounter with sustainable living in the very place that we were staying.

Janurary 3rd, 2011 - "First Day of Study Abroad Program"

We started our day with breakfast at the Sky City hotel. It was our first full group meeting and signaled the start of the study abroad. During the breakfast we discussed our trip schedule and received some additional reading assignments that were related to sustainable practices in this part of the world.

Following breakfast we met with Gary Caufield, who is the General Manager of The Stanley Group’s Auckland office. The Stanley Group is a construction company that has been around for 87 years and operates throughout the country. They have five different divisions of their company, including the Auckland Construction Group, Stanley Eco-Build, Stanley Construction group, Stanley Joinery and Stanley Modular. Gary was an extremely knowledgeable individual and serves on the New Zealand Green Building Council along with his position running Stanley’s Auckland office. During our time with Gary he spoke about multiple topics, including some details on Stanley’s operations, the formation and current state of New Zealand’s green building system and specifics of New Zealand’s green market.

Stanley’s current work load included a 14 story modular housing structure for the University of Auckland, which could be seen out of the meeting room window, and a large amount of “leaky building” rehab projects. The modular building process was very interesting to me but was somewhat foreign as well. It seems to be a good practice that I can see catching on in the states in the very near future. Gary told us that “leaky buildings” were a huge problem in the Auckland area for buildings built between 1985 and 2005. They were a result of exterior cladding being installed in a shotty fashion over untreated timber framing, which causes some serious mold and framing deterioration problems. The New Zealand government has paid serious money out on “leaky building” lawsuits and are currently rolling out a remediation package to address the problem. They are also rolling out a contractor licensing system to ensure that the nation’s builders are competent in proper construction practices.

The green building movement started in New Zealand during the early 2000’s and was pushed by a company known as Beacon Pathway. The New Zealand green building rating system is based on the Australian Green Star rating system and uses a 4, 5 or 6 star rating scale. Gary stated that the system is still a fairly new concept for the New Zealand markets and that there have only been 20 – 30 certified buildings constructed to date. He also said that most developers are developing green buildings because of the economic incentives and that green building is currently slowing down because of the economy. I asked if businesses were currently pursuing operations and maintenance certifications and Gary said that there was some tracking going on but that the rating system was not prepared to qualify currently operating buildings yet.

Following out meeting with Gary we visited the Parnell neighborhood for lunch and a look at the “Geyser Building” , which is a sustainable office tower that is currently under construction. Following lunch we walked over to a 6-star green mixec-use building known as “Ironbank.” The leasing office for the property was closed but a restaurant owner on the first floor gave us access to the building through his space. The building was valued at around $40 million nzd and has a very cool glass and metal look with retail on the first floor and office space on the upper floors. It included many sustainable features, including a car stacking system which the restaurant owner was nice enough to give us a demonstration of.

Overall it was a very informative and enjoyable day. Our visit with Gary Caufield provided us with a wealth of knowledge on how green building works in New Zealand. It also provided the construction professionals in our group with a very in depth look at the modular building system that is used regularly in New Zealand and Australia. The “Ironbank” visit was also very interesting but would have been much better if we were able to meet with a building executive.

Days 1 - 3 in New Zealand and the "SHAC" Sustainable Habitat Challenge

We have been in New Zealand for 3 days now and the trip has been amazing so far. The plane ride was very very long and I didn't get any sleep on it, as I had hoped, but I was able to get a nice nap during the afternoon and rally for a nice night out in the Viaduct Harbor section of Auckland on new years eve.

On the second day of the trip we headed about 2 hours north of Auckland to visit some of Dr. Forgey's former students that are teaching at the University of Auckland. We met them at their vacation home, which is located at the base of a volcano, and enjoyed a nice lunch with their family. Following lunch we headed a little further north and visited the "Bay of Whales" which was an incredibly pretty place.

Day three brought a early wake up call from Dr. Forgey but it was definitely worth getting out of bed. We started out the day with breakfast in Mission beach which included breezes from the ocean and a view of a huge volcano rising out of the water. Following breakfast we took the ferry over to the Davenport neighborhood and scaled "Mount Victoria". Following this, we came back over to central Auckland and visited Dominion Park, the University of Auckland and the Auckland Museum. It has been a great day and I am looking forward to the arrival of the remainder of our group in Auckland.

We will be starting the study abroad portion of our trip tomorrow and I am looking forward to meeting with some of the local real estate professionals to get their take of some of the real estate and sustainability issues that we have been seeing around town.



The "SHAC" challenge is a sustainable housing competition that brought teams from across New Zealand together to build sustainable houses in a variety of locations and fashions across the country. The teams included architecture, engineering real estate students and they were matched up with industry mentors to provide them with guidance during their projects. The teams were given less than two years to design, fund and create their project.

Various construction methods and sustainability strategies were used by the different teams. The main themes of the houses included a home that was built out of dirt / brush combined with cement, a relocatable home, a bolt on garden room that can be attached to a high-rise apartment, a new home using normal purchasable products that are fully sustainable, a sustainable batch or vacation home, a modular home that can be constructed as individual rooms that can be connected, a retrofitted New Zealand housing authority home, and a home constructed of re-claimed timber and natural products. One team also created a number of sustainable products that could be used in and around the home.

The competition was a great success and all of the parties involved stated that they were extremely happy with the results. The outcome provided a significant amount of new ideas for sustainable housing in New Zealand and it also provided some new energy efficient homes at discounted prices for some lucky families. It also created a buzz for sustainable / energy efficient housing all across New Zealand. The competition is going to continue in 2011 and is sure to bring even more innovation and momentum to the sustainable housing movement in New Zealand.