Fletcher Living LowCo House

The total amount of CO2-equivalent generated by a standard three-bedroom New Zealand home over the course of its construction and a 90-year life is 270 tonnes. In order for New Zealand’s to meet it’s 2050 1.5C global warming targets that number needs to be reduced to 39 tonnes of carbon equivalent over its 90-year lifespan. That is exactly what this project aims to do.

The project, called the Low Carbon 1.5°C Homes Pilot (aka LowCO), is an ambitious initiative by Fletcher Living’s Sustainability team and has been designed to help New Zealand reach its climate change goals.

Steve Evans, Fletcher Living Chief Executive explains why it’s important for the building industry and New Zealand:

“As a country, we’re committed to playing our part in achieving the global goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. New Zealand's home building sector faces a monumental shift in the way it designs, sources materials, and builds.  Building a low carbon house that meets the 1.5 degree Celsius carbon budget is a move towards meeting our emission goals and we see it as an essential step for preparing our business for future climate challenges.”

The LowCO consultant team

To create LowCO, Fletcher Living assembled a team of industry experts who have the innovation and passion to go against regular housing expectations and strive for a more sustainable result. With concept design by Strachan Group Architects and detailed design by Tim Ross from Architype – a Dunedin-based high-performance, passive house architectural firm.

Jason Quinn’s expertise as an engineer from Sustainable Engineering was then brought in to assess the energy models and crunch the carbon numbers for the Life Cycle Assessment. Finally, Craig Pocock from Beca Wellington, reviewed the implications of landscaping performance – ensuring our on-lot design achieves low carbon, ecology, and biodiversity goals.

The team spent months working on carbon reduction pathways. Designing to eliminate carbon, selecting low carbon alternatives, and offsetting embodied carbon – which put simply is the carbon footprint of a building before it’s occupied.

https://www.fletcherliving.co.nz/about-us/sustainability/lowco/

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