82 | NZ friendly, energy-efficient homes Virginia Wright ARCHITECTURE ADNZ: Novare Architecture Gary Phillips founded Novare Architecture on the Kapiti Coast in 2004, but he designed his first energy efficient home in 1977. It was the first of many as Gary embarked on his career as an architect designing what he describes as “energy efficient, comfortable homes, able to be built for the clients’ budget.” For many years he undertook design and build projects then in 2004 he concentrated on design only. While the materials used in his builds may have come and gone over the years his understanding of what general principles of architectural design best suit New Zealand conditions hasn’t changed. “What I started with and still believe is the most practical for our temperate climate is what we called back then passive solar design,” says Gary. A similar term, “passive house”, or more properly “haus”, is very current and refers to a European concept and design for energy efficient homes but as Gary explains it can be a very different thing. “The passive haus is an airtight home relying on mechanical ventilation to pump air in and suck stale air out. They promote triple glazing, super insulation, minimal windows and so on. Whereas my passive house interest and background is using the materials of the house itself to regulate the internal temperature.” What Gary means is that, based on the principle that heat always moves in one direction, from hot to cold, he uses thermal mass (usually in the form of a concrete slab) in the house to store heat during the day and release it at night in winter, and the reverse in summer. “It can get quite complex but basically it’s designing homes that are exposed to the sun when you want them to be, with windows on the north side, and only a few on the south, and I usually put a lot on the west side to catch the evening sun so that people can sit in it when they get home from work. “I design plenty of indoor-outdoor flow, and in line with my understanding of the word passive, knowing that cooling is just as important as heating, we have large soffit overhangs and pergolas with deciduous vines so that in summer you’ve got shade from the leaves and in winter the sun pours in. I’d never claim you won’t need ancillary heat but you don’t need to have the house locked up 24/7 with a mechanical ventilation system regulating your air temperature,” says Gary. “I usually specify a clean-air approved freestanding firebox which means in case of a power cut, which we seem to be getting more and more of, you can at least boil water, cook some food and so on.” Over the last six years Gary has been involved with the design of an architectural housing system for Levin based company Greenhaven Homes. They put these energy efficient principles to the fore in their typically modular, transportable, pre-fabricated, designed to be both comfortable and affordable, homes, with bespoke options when requested. At Novare Architecture they concentrate on custom design to create liveable spaces with good aesthetics. They integrate their energy efficient principles into their designs, taking care that the cost is on a par with any other build of a similar size. Wherever possible they specify New Zealand made products. Because they also include sustainability in their rationale for choosing one material over another they promote Terra Lana sheep’s wool insulation, and another product called Mammoth which is made out of recycled plastic drink bottles. Cladding is generally timber of one sort or another with what’s specified often depending on what’s available, especially now with supply chains in such disarray. It’s been 10 years since Gary specified gib-board as the preferred wall lining (a good thing given the ongoing gib crisis) and his most recent favourite is an innovative product called “Saveboard” using recycled plastic and paper rubbish. “It’s all sorted and sifted and then compressed into sheets like gib-board in their factory in Hamilton. I’ve got samples here and I’m specifying it for every job now.” Reclaimed & Sustainably Sourced Australian Hardwoods Cladding ∙ Decking ∙ Beams & Posts ∙ Flooring ∙ Landscaping 027 255 4345 shannon@lmatimber.co.nz www.lmatimber.co.nz Proudly supporting Novare Architecture
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