Ecos sustainable showhome, Auckland

 PROJECT:           Ecos Sustainable Showhome, Whangaparoa

ARCHITECT:        Malcolm McAull, Ecos Homes

CARPET:             Tarascan, textured loop pile

"Ecos Homes audits products for their environmental credentials and Cavalier Bremworth's Tarascan loop pile carpet was chosen for its durability - its hard-wearing longevity fits with our desire to use products that are built to last."

Building a house to withstand extreme wind loading may seem over-engineering to many New Zealand architects (especially 'knock-em up' developers) , but Malcolm McAll of Ecos Homes believes future proofing for climate change is a must.  Recent climate events in Australia lend weight to his view.

The award-winning UK architect has been resident in New Zealand for three years and has just completed the first Ecos show home designed specifically for local conditions.  He was involved with the formation of the ECOS Trust in the UK in 2000 as an educational charity, its mission "to make sustainable development the norm by 2010".  In 2004 ECOS Homes was established in the UK to build exemplar sustainable developments giving equal weight to environmental and social issues.

"Our Whangaparoa show home marks the launch of a range of houses which aim to promote design and build techniques that give a better quality of life and reduce environmental impact: two things we should all be aiming for," he says.

"The intention has been to evolve the most durable and trusted New Zealand building tradition of the villa style and create housing that brings together traditional detailing with decades of research and the latest technology."

McAll says the six-bedroom house is designed to cope with extremes of weather and is carbon-positive using photo-voltaic panels for grid-tied electricity and solar water heating.  The timber frame is 50% thicker than standard and the amount of timber in the house is 150% more than a traditional house.   The clay tile roof is designed to last 150 years and the timber joinery he claims could last for 150 years with good care.

    

"Ecos Homes audits products for their environmental credentials and Cavalier Bremworth's Tarascan loop pile carpet was chosen for its durability - its hard-wearing longevity fits with our desire to use products that are built to last.

"It is a beautiful New Zealand wool product, the feel of it underfoot is luxurious and the colour is rich and warm, which complements the room settings. When we've got good quality, natural and sustainable materials on our doorstep it makes sense to use them.

"Ecos Homes is all about building and living sustainably. This not only means using products from renewable resources but also fostering local employment and minimising the energy used."