Solar energy passive design considerations have not yet become mainstream building industry practice in Australia, despite its many positive advances in the built environment.
In my opinion, conservative forces in the building industry are still going out of their way to stifle progress by lobbying government for negligible changes to the building code compliance system and even pushing to water down the debate, so that the long established building industry approach to land subdivision and the building of packaged ‘project’ homes remains largely unchanged.
Built Environment Solar Passive Design Saves 80-90% Energy
Built Environment South Beach House
Image: 2010 Residence located at South Beach, Western Australia Designed by Ecotect-Architects
This design is passive solar with solar water heating, photovoltaic and water conservation technologies which will save 80 – 90% energy and up to 60% water usage, when compared to the average luxury home or “Mac-Mansion”! A 2005 award-winning solar passive house also designed by Ecotect-Architects is featured in the Swanbourne Centre blog.
The image shows the western façade with the north solar collection façade running down the block to create maximum privacy. (Note: for buildings in the northern hemisphere the aspect would be to the south rather than north.)
As specialists in master planning, environmentally sensible design ["ESD"] architecture, project management and energy use analysis, Ecotect-Architects understand that the main challenge economically and environmentally is to institute successful energy and water conservation strategies in our built environment.
We need to reduce our emissions by 50-60%
Apart from placing a realistic and ecologically sensible cap on global population, we need to reduce our emissions from this sector by 50 to 60% by the year 2050. It is and always has been the elephant in the room.
The built environment in USA accounts for 65% of its total electricity consumption. In Australia and Canada the built environment accounts for over 50% of all electricity consumption. These figures cannot be ignored if we are to solve the catastrophic Climate Change problems once and for all.
Built Environment is taking 50% of coal power stations’ output
Electricity Consumption in Building Sector
This histogram shows that the Australian built environment is taking 50% of their coal fired power station capacity.
Australia, as a consequence, is one of the world’s worst polluters.
Of course small and large scale power generation strategies are extremely important. It is unlikely that passive solar energy and smart building services and appliances alone can deliver the necessary 50 – 60% scale of conservation required in 40 years. In a hundred years it could be possible - but that does not mean that we should not try.
Retro-fitting will create building industry jobs
The most economic approach, albeit the most difficult tactically, should be vehemently attempted. The upside is that retro-fitting and developing new -state-of-the-art buildings for the 21st century will create an enormous number of skilled and semi skilled jobs.
My estimates are that over 40 years the retro-fitting industry will create an extra 300,000 jobs over and above currently employed in the building industry. Also, it is not commonly realized that it will take all of this 40 years for these new building workers and industry contributors to get through the task in hand, to deliver 50% savings in energy and water
Economically, this combined strategy realistically acknowledges that there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution.
As my colleague Ian Parker, has strongly portrayed many times, [often without any adequate response at government level] we need a ‘failure is not an option’ approach if we are, as a human race, going to solve the biggest threat ever to mankind: Climate Change.
Shape our cities according to the sun
Q: What do we need to do to eventually have ecologically sustainable development as mainstream ?
A: The starting point is to shape our developments according to the sun.
Solar Skyline Models
Two solar skylines policies drafted for Mandurah and Perth in Western Australia
As a stating point we need to shape our cities using the sun, otherwise the opportunity for solar collection and trapping breezes to reduce energy dependence, is no more than a dream. It can be done effectively with most cities in the world – but it needs intelligent leadership and commitment by governments and controlling of self-interest lobby groups.
Sub-division and high performance design policies/guidelines are needed for all new developments of urban and suburban settings. A key aspect of this would be the development of energy efficient, passive solar buildings around public transport centres.
Sketch fo 'Enquiry by Design' Cottesloe Australia
Ecotect-Architects Sketch for the Town of Cottesloe, Western Australia, Enquiry by Design, 2008
Building density around transport nodes
Increasing density around railway stations is desperately needed but it needs to protect the northerly exposure for our buildings and achieve good cross ventilation for apartments and commercial facilities. (Note: in the northern hemisphere this would equate to southerly exposure).
There is a great deal of discussion and research being done at a planning level these days but there is not enough technical research and data from a solar energy use perspective. A multi-disciplinary approach is desperately needed to not deliver impressive looking design inputs, but definable outputs and economic analysis based on FACTS rather than populist perceptions among architects, planners, engineers and governance at all level.
Solar Energy in the Built Environment and Addressing Climate Change
It is not an easy path, but the Australian Solar Energy Society ['AuSES'] could be far more active in the future and should be able to attract more interest and involvement among the elite of the built environment professionals.
We need far more research of the built environment that is based on high performance solar design principles. It is a crucial area for advancement in the path to a more solar economy and it will have very long term benefits if adopted as a scientific strategy. It has been the ‘elephant in the room’ for the last 40 years!
Built Environment Elephant in the room
It is amazing how the housing construction industry to date has preferred to keep truly high performing solar design away from the public. Although the reasons are complex, it is ethically inexcusable.
Solar Mentors Programme
We desperately need a new generation of young professionals to take up the challenge and start using science and analysis to combat ignorance and vested interests. We need a transparent process of presenting data and information that is relevant to the thinking of 21st century politicians.
At future AuSES conferences the challenge goes out to young professional architects, engineers and planners and post graduate students in these disciplines, to start producing compelling information that changes the face of how we develop the built environment.
We need more validation and more innovation! Hopefully the new AuSES Solar Mentors Programme will deliver more action at conferences in this discipline.
A commentary by Garry Baverstock AM,
CEO of www.solar-e.com and President of AuSES, WA
Useful solar-e.com links:
Passive Solar Design of Buildings
The Reality of the Built Environment
Hi Garry,
Very interesting overview – ‘we have to start by shaping our cities using the sun’. If the city planners don’t make it easy for the developers, then the developers won’t make it easy for the builders. They will always stay with what they have always done. Profit and time are the motivators, rather than the longer range view to reduce our emissions and make for a world that can support our children and grandchildren.
You’ve proven with the South Beach master planning that you can actually fit more houses into a well designed solar subdivision, than less.
The developers and builders need so much encouragement to change. They are not unlike the rest of us. We householders cling to our fashions and fads in home design without thinking of the outcomes. We think it is the factories and cars that pollute – we do not realise how responsible we are in our choice of residences.
Living in a solar passive house for five years has shown me that we don’t need to sacrifice anything in building an energy efficient house, but we gain so much in the process.
Congratulations to AuSES in their efforts to bring change to the government table.
Keep ringing the bell !
Julia Hayes recently posted..A solar passive house – what’s that
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Absolutely correct – fundamental change is required. Building according to the sun should be mandated by government, right from subdivision design stage. This would remove one obstacle from the many that face us. Alas, whilst many know what needs doing, governments pander to big business exempting them from the need to change. In Western Australia, local decision-making on town planning issues is now commonly and easily got round to bump issues up to a developer-friendly referee. Maybe the most important question is how to get the developers on side, as they seem to hold most of the power…
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Garry Baversrock Reply:
February 21st, 2011 at 4:52 pm
I am afraid we are going to ‘democratize’ ourselves into oblivion if we do not start getting governments that put the public interest in relation to Climate Change ahead of their lobby groups interests.
I think there is a new generation coming who will start to lead and better serve the public interest, however most powerful developers at present are old and very ignorant of the science of what is happening to planet earth.
The politicians are unfortunately mostly old, ignorant of the science and out of date. I guess the only way forward is to keep voting them out and continue to encourage younger, better educated developers who have a genuine desire to transform our built environment in the right direction.
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Politics is a compromise. It is driven by compromise and the only exception is when disaster strikes. That can be defined in many ways and is not limited to earthquakes and hurricanes. In Australia, politics is largely driven by the corporate world and those that deny that or buck against the system are silenced, either viciously, gently or worn away by the sheer wall of corporate power. There are a few shining examples of leaders who defy this and say what they think. Bob Brown is one very prominent one. Hermann Scheer in Germany was another. But let me dissect that a bit. What is the reason that Germany leads the way with domestic PV? Not the least because Scheer got that started and eventually into legislation. But resource insecurity played a part. Germany gets its gas from Russia it is vulnerable.
In Australia, we have no such issue. We have “plenty” of stuff to dig up and stuff to extract and burn (we think). But Brown, although he knows that very well is up against the lies and distortions of the resources industry (the nuclear industry has begun to lose its cloak of “safety”– Chernobyl is still dangerous). He says “we are running out”. It’s not in the interests of corporate controllers to agree.
We have a worn out, irrelevant system of parliamentary “democracy” – right versus left, soft versus hard. It doesn’t serve us at all. Our problems are far too serious to leave them to the present brigade. Can the new comers shift things? Maybe, but they have to stand up and get the corporate world OUT of politics forever. Then and only then we will start see the change. That change will recognize the limits to growth, it will see us leading far simpler lives, and accepting that growth economics has one major flaw – there isn’t enough stuff to dig up or burn to keep the paradigm alive. Is it too late? I am seeing young folks coming out of high school with high ATARs and heads full of stuff that the ivory tower curriculum mandarins force on them, yet (in the words of Ernest Hemingway) – do not have “built in shock proof crap detectors”. And dear reader, if that applies to young journalists, then forget a paradigm shift in politics.
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Well said Bill. I think that us experts need to stand up and be counted just like the great Hermann Scheer did for decades. We can also show that we are mentors with the young just not with words but actions
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