september 2009 chow hill sustainablity quaterly

8/9/2019 September 2009 Chow Hill Sustainablity Quaterly

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u p d a t e s

o u t t h e r e

p r o j e c t s + p e o p l e

c o n n e c t i o n s

c o m m u n i t y

s m a l l s t e p s

r e s o u r c e s

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c h o w : h i l l s u s t a i n a b l e d e s i g ng u i d e l i n e s : r e g e n e r a t i v e d e s i g n

The Chow:Hill Sustainable Design Guidelines talk about taking aregenerative design approach which involves a shift from a fragmentedworld view to a whole systems mental model. Instead of doing less damage

to the environment, it is necessary to learn how we can participate with theenvironment using the health of ecological systems as a basis for design.A way to achieve this is to take a place-based approach by attempting to

understand how the systems of life work in each unique place.By creatinga whole system of mutually benecial relationshipswe are able to movebeyond sustaining the environment to one that can regenerate its health.This process connects with the consciousness and spirit of the people

engaged in a place, the only way to sustain sustainability.

Source: Bill Reed, April 2006, Shifting our Mental Model Sustainability to Regeneration,Integrative Design Collaborative and Regenesis, USA, http://www.regenesisgroup.com/pdf/ShiftingOurMentalModel.pdf

s b n a w a r d s

As a result of our efforts to date in the

Get Sustainable Challenge process,were pleased to share that Chow:Hillwas a nalist in the Emerging Largeand Corporate category for the 2009

Northern Sustainable Business NetworkAwards, announced on the 3rd ofSeptember. Points of interest to note

are that Kokako Coffee (which we nowbuy) won the Trailblazer Small andMedium category and SKM (whom wework with on the Onehunga Foreshore)

were awarded a judges commendationin the Trailblazer Large and Corporatecategory. There was some greatcompetition for the awards and although

Chow:Hill was not a winner (this time) itwas a great event to be involved in.

W e t a k e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

f o r l e a d i n g t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n o f o u r e n v i r o n m e n t s i n t h e

p u r s u i t o f a s u s t a i n a b l e f u t u r e

l o w i m p a c tu r b a n d e s i g n

+ d e v e l o p m e n tr o a d s h o w

Low Impact Urban Design and

Development (LIUDD) is an approachto urban development and stormwatermanagement which identies,

recognises and utilises natural features,processes and systems. Susan Hall fromthe Auckland ofce recently attendeda two-day LIUDD safari and seminar

course run by Landcare Research andThe University of Auckland, focusing onits applications in urban intensication

and redevelopment. Susan will beembarking on a roadshow to all threeChow:Hill ofces on the 21st and 22ndof October to share the learnings.

Source: http://www.integrativedesign.net/images/RegenerativeDesignPresentation_102006.pd f


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imagesource:MauriceKiely

n a t u r e + p e o p l e r e c l a i mn e w y o r k i n f r a s t r u c t u r e

The High Line is an elevated linear urban public park within

New York that began life in the 1930s as a raised traintrack built to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattansstreets. The track was abandoned in 1980, escapeddemolition in the mid-1980s and gradually became a

wild, rambling, dynamic industrial relic overgrown withwildowers. A group called the Friends of the High Line

formed in 1999 to advocate for the development of thestructure as public open space.

The park was designed by landscape architect JamesCorner of Field Operations, architects Diller Scodio and

Renfro and a team of specialists. When completed theHigh Line park will run for approx 2.3km through 22 cityblocks between and through buildings in the west side of

Manhattan. Inspired by the way that nature had reclaimeda once-vital piece of infrastructure, the designers applieda strategy of agri-tecture by combining organic andbuilding materials into a blend of changing proportions

that accommodates the wild, the cultivated, the intimate,

and the hyper-social(James Corner).

There is evidence of the principles of regenerativedesign (mentioned on the previous page and to the lefthere) in the High Line, whereby community input andengagement was central to all phases of the project, the

heritage of the industrial relic has been retained thereforemaintaining the sense of place, and the wild characterand the associated biological and hydrological systems

have been fully integrated into the design.

The rst of the three sections of the park opened in June

2009 and Maurice Kiely walked this on his recent tripto New York, pictured left. A highlight for Maurice wasseeing the designers words were not exaggerated, itis a hyper-social and sometimes hyper-real experience

walking through a park six metres in the air while passingthrough, under and between buildings.He also enjoyedthe combination of prairie, wetland, artwork, sun-lounge,industrial grunge and Monet-like all in the one voyeurs

package.

Source: http://www.thehighl ine.org/ http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/06/11/inhabitat-exclusive-video-the-nyc-high-line-opens/http://www.eldoperations.net/

regenerative design is...People & Nature as one, part of the same integrated whole participating with nature, instead of doing things to nature aligning healing of living systems with future aspirations continuously evolving relationships experiencing the whole system expressing relationships in the form of a 'story of place' a living systems approach combination of Place and the science of living systems Source: http://www.di.net/articles/archive/2043/ http://www.integrativedesign.

net/regenerative.htm http://www.integrativedesign.net/images/RegenerativeDesignPresentation_102006.pd f

More of Maurices pictures of the High Line can be viewed at:Auckland: AKL Admin - Presentation Server - Maurices New York PhotosHamilton: HML Admin - Photographs - Miscellaneous Projects - Maurices New York PhotosTauranga: TGA Projects - Presentation Files - Maurices New York Photos


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imagesource:MirandaChang

c h o w : h i l l s r e l a t i o n s h i pw i t h u n i t e c s u s t a i n s t h e

p r o f e s s i o n + t h e u r b a n f a b r i c

2009 is the 10th year of Chow:Hills relationship with Unitec, whereby eachyear a team from the Auckland ofce runs a design studio programme

with 3rd and 4th year architecture students with the aim to integrate thelearning environment with the realities of professional practice.

This year the team is led by Miranda Chang and assisted by Anthony

Flannery, Colin MacKillop and Joanna Smith. The brief, titled LearningMorphologies, challenges students to apply the concepts of AnthonysKnowledge Cities presentation to develop a Learning Commons for

Unitec on the soon to be vacated Lion Nathan Brewery site, which is alarge piece of industrial land located between Newmarket and the CBD.

To date, the students have completed the masterplanning phase of theproject, which is soon to be followed by more in-depth design of oneof the building blocks. The masterplans that the students producedexplore aspects of social, environmental and economic sustainability,

for instance:

mixed-use development was core to the students ideas, as they were

exploring the concept of the university being part of the city, wheretertiary education shares the site with a number of other functions,including apartments, shops, restaurants, cafes and a library

the location of the site allowed students to look into the ideas ofwalkability and connections to public transport and urban centres

the students have been encouraged to explore ideas of high densitydevelopment, as they learnt from Adam Thompson, Director ofProperty Economics, this is crucial to ensure the economic viability

of the site

one group of students have re-used the existing structures of the

site, allowing for adaptability and exibility of architecture over timeand retaining the heritage of the site

some groups have transformed the existing silos (pictured inbackground) to provide a water retention function or act as waterfeatures.

Over the years, Chow:Hills programme with Unitec has encouragedmany students to engage with the architectural profession and real-world issues prior to graduating, allowing them to emerge from Unitec

with the skills and knowledge needed to slot into the professional world.We look forward to seeing the results of the next phase of the 2009studio and many more to come.

Contact Miranda Chang for more information.

o n e h u n g af o r e s h o r e

The Onehunga Foreshore Request for

Proposal put out by Auckland City Councilcalled for a Design-Build team, preliminarydesign and costings. Chow:Hill joined forceswith HEB Construction, Heron Construction,

SKM Consulting, Bioresearches, Andrew.Stewart, Bespoke Landscape Architects and

Studio Pasika. We brainstormed design,construction and costing proposals througha series of interactive workshops.

Our approach is to make visible or at least hint

at the hidden stories behind our ever-changinglandscapes. This approach incorporates morethan protection and conservation; its about

learning and celebration, respecting past andpresent stories while creating opportunitiesfor new ones. It is about cultural identity andsense of belonging.

Our design process for the project utilised theChow:Hill Sustainable Design Guidelines in

the following ways:

Planet (environmental): our approach is to steppast impact reduction to one of regeneration throughthe establishment of ecological enhancement areas,improving water quality, marine environments and birdhabitat.

People (social/cultural): our approach focuseson wellbeing through community engagement with asensitivity to different cultures and a desired outcome ofexibility and choice for the end users.

Prosperity (economic): an objective of our designis that it will be adaptable, ensuring it is a vibrant publicopen space for future generations including opportunitiesthat support commercial initiatives.

Aspiration: our aspiration for this project is that itis more than recreating a few beaches but instead isan opportunity for expressing the natural and culturalheritage of this particular place.

Feedback on the evaluation process isexpected in October ngers crossed!


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m a y o r a lc o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h

j o n a t h a n s m a l e s

Jonathan Smales, CEO of Beyond GreenGroup, is a sustainability strategist and

practitioner and has been working in thiseld for over 20 years. In his talk at anAuckland City Council Mayoral Conversation

on the 25th of August, Jonathan outlined

many of the problems facing the planet andargued that we need to start living on theearth as if we intended to stay. To achieve

this, Jonathan says we rst need to answerthe big question of how shall we live?Jonathan and the team at Beyond Green

believe that the answer to this is not alldoom and gloom, but that our future livescan be a combination of both sustainabilityand pleasure. Jonathan advocates that good

urbanism is the key to enabling people to livemore sustainably while maintaining a high

quality of life. He feels that high importancemust be placed on the development of thepublic realm, buildings must be adaptableand exible over time and they shouldbe planned to last for hundreds of years,

walkable mixed-use neighbourhoods mustbe developed and the urban environmentmust be ne-grained and textured to make

walking and cycling more pleasurable.

Jonathan spoke of cities that are exhibitinggood urbanism and changing behaviors,

including Copenhagen, Curitiba, Amsterdam,Barcelona and Basel. He presented manygreat insights and images, and these cities

are well worth looking at (either throughGoogle or in real life!).

At the conclusion of his talk, Jonathans

main message to planners, designers anddevelopers was that if you cant buildsustainably, dont build anything.

Visit http://www.beyondgreen.co.uk/ to learn moreabout Beyond Green.

i n d i g e n o u s k n o w l e d g e +s u s t a i n a b l e u r b a n

d e s i g n s e m i n a r

This seminar, run by the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities on the 9thof September, included a combination of four speakers, all with different but

interrelated backgrounds an architect, resource economist, environmentalpolicy planner and social geographer. The linking theme was the developmentof sustainable and regenerative design and planning principles drawn from pre-

contact Maori built environments.

Amanda Yates (Ngati Whakaue, Rongowhakaata, Ngati Pakeha), registeredarchitect and academic, spoke about building as micro-urbanism where she

interprets the Maori pa and architecture as a generative landscape. Her built worksderived from these principles were inspirational. Each project incorporates threekey architectural strategies: terracing into the landscape, space that opens to the

outside and garden on rooftop landscape. Amandas denition for regenerativedesign is that it considers earth and biotic systems as an integrated networkand aims to replenish these systems through design interventions.

Shaun Awatere (Ngati Porou), resource economist from Landcare Research, hasbeen researching the development of papakainga / communities. His particular

focus is on communities taking responsibility for the management of resourcessuch as stormwater and wastewater. His work has led to the development ofnine urban / sustainable design principles. A key objective of this work is to giveMaori a vehicle to express their development aspirations. Shaun expressed oneof the biggest challenges is the need to change (all) peoples perceptions of

what is sustainable what do we desire and value as quality of life / standardof living and what do we value as sustainable.

Wiki Walker (Ngati Hine), Manukau City Council Environmental Policy Planner(tangata whenua), whose role of strategist and tactician across Council hasgiven her the opportunity to work on a challenging and exciting project wherea key objective is to take peoples stories of place and map these to enable a

cultural layer to be incorporated into spatial structure planning in a citywidecontext. The idea is to map both tangible and intangible cultural resources.

Ngarimu Blair (Ngati Whatua), Trustee on the Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori TrustBoard, discussed the work that Ngati Whatua has been undertaking; with ideas,values and preconceptions challenged through 40 hui, in order to develop theirland in Orakei. Key principles include: a move to medium density, kaitiaki low

impact design and new interpretations of papakaianga / community. Ngarimualso reiterated the importance of the stories of place, the narrative of allAucklanders, which enables us to know who we are.

To view each speakers presentation, visit http://sustainablecities.org.nz/2009/08/seminar-series-indigenous-knowledge-and-sustainable-urban-design-2/

S N k t P i S h l


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o c e a n w o n d e r l a n d i n n e w m a r k e t

As reported in the rst issue of seed, a groupfrom the Auckland ofce celebrated WorldArchitecture Day last year by taking theirpassion for design and sustainability into

the community, working with students ofNewmarket Primary School to develop a newplay area. The relationship with the School has

been ongoing, and Christina Schregel, VatraBandur, Frances Montero and Simon Woodallrecently attended an Enviroschools event atthe School to talk about their experiences with

assisting to develop the Ocean WonderlandPlayground. Newmarket Primary School isa member of the nationwide Enviroschools

programme and this event was a workshopfor teachers in the Auckland Region to seewhat has been happening at the School. Apublication put out by the School recently is a

great testament to the benets that arose from

Chow:Hills relationship with the School:

A shared vision for the project was developedusing the expertise of local architectsChow:Hill, students, teachers and parents.Students took action, participated in authentic,

rich integrated learning projects that resultedin great areas for learning and creative play. Inpartnership, rich learning resources are being

created for the school.

Visit http://www.enviroschools.org.nz/ for infomation onthe Enviroschools programme.

Source: Newmarket Primary School

cycle waysAround 10% of our permament staff cycle to work on a regular basisand a greater number cycle regularly in their leisure time. When askedwhat the attractions were for them they replied...

'part of the reason I purchased my bicycle was to save money...a quick calculation on the amount of money I was spending on fuelto get to work was about $1000 a year, which is about the sameamount I was going to spend on a bike. If I was to bike to work6 months each year the pay back period for the purchase of thebike was approximately 2 years.' Nathan Edmondston

'I have an 11km return trip to work each day from Royal Oak. Icycle for fitness, to save time and money and because cars clogthe roads, pollute the air, bring the worst out in people.' Leslie Lewis

'I bike to work for the thrill and adrenalin of riding in bike / buslanes - there is nothing like nearly being killed by a bus to wake you

up in the morning!! Also it is as fast as driving and saves gas!!'Doug Oaks'I cycle to work for... the enjoyment, andfeeling of satisfaction; time to break outof the daily rat race; a small part of mefeels I'm helping the environment; parkinga car in town is a bit of a pain; I'd liketo think there are some health benefits,apart from the accidents!; it takes aboutthe same amount of time as in the car; itmeans I can eat more chocolate!'

Ross Owen (also pictured)m


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fight the trend shownhere in Auckland'sBritomart and takethe stairs insteadof the escalator orlift to reduce energyconsumption and fightobesity

5 c l i c k s

Visit www.5clicks.org.nzto perform 5 Actions for

a Happy Planet. You willbe directed to:

www.350.org.n zWatch the animationto learn why 350 couldbe the most importantnumber on our planet.

www.signon.org.n zSign on to Greenpeacesnew campaign, callingfor the NZ governmentto commit to a 40%emissions reductiontarget by 2020 at theUN Climate talks inCopenhagen thisDecember.

www.wwf.org.n z

Find out how to makesmall changes in yourlife to make it Earth Hour,every hour.

www.choices.net.n zThe Choices programmehas been developed bythe Sustainability Trustto support a wide rangeof groups and individualsmaking positive choicesfor themselves and theirplanet.

www.oxfam.org.n zUrge world leaders to

develop a fair climatechange agreement byadding your name to theFeel the Heat petition.This will be handedover to the New Zealandgovernment in the leadup to the UN climatechange conferencein Copenhagen thisDecember.

help yourself and the planet...

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get off the bus one stop earlier or

park your car further away andwalk the remainder of your journey

join your fellow officemates and start cyclingto work...but don't feel that youneed to become part of

the lycra-clad cycliststereotype...join the Frocks on Bikesmovement instead andadd some glamour toyour commute!Visit www.frocksonbikes.or g

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'Widening roads to overcome congestion is like loosening our belts to solve obesity.'John Norquist

for more great ideasof small steps you cantake, have a read ofWorld Sweet World,a nz magazine withinstructions on how

to make great stuffand feature articleson people, places andsustainable livingAvailable from Whitcoulls andwww.worldsweetworld.co.nz

if cycling or publictransport isn't an optionconsider:

eliminating short car trips by walkingcarpooling driving smoothly and within the speedlimit

maintaining your car

wellupgrading to a newer, smaller, morefuel efficient car

Source: www.sustaintrust.org.nz

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technolog

yecology

culture

t o i n p u t , c o m m e n to r d e b a t e p l e a s e

c o n t a c t t h e e d i t o r i a l t e a m . . .B r i d g i t , M a u r i c e

o r S u s a n

t e a r a n g a m a o r i c u l t u r a ll a n d s c a p e s t r a t e g y

The perceived failure of the Ministry for the Environment(MFE) to consult adequately with Maori interests inthe development of the Urban Design Protocol, and a

subsequent series of hui (which were attended by MFErepresentatives) led to the development of the Te ArangaMaori Cultural Landscape Strategy.

The document has been developed by a group of Maoriprofessionals, including Carin Wilson who presented tous in June this year. To date it has been approved by eightiwi, several Councils and it has also received favourable

response from the Auckland Regional Councils ManaWhenua group within the Sustainability Framework. It willbe further reinforced at a hui in September.

The Te Aranga Maori Cultural Landscapes Strategyseeks the reinstatement, development and articulationof the physical and metaphysical cultural landscapes of

whanau, hapu and iwi.

The strategy notes that this understanding is ...critical to

cultural identity and a Maori sense of place.

Some other pertinent points from the document are asfollows:

The fabric of the Maori cultural landscape includes allphysical and spiritual dimensions of whanau, hapu and

iwi as expressed in our living environments - our whenua,kainga, whare and public spaces. Kaitiaki, designers andTerritorial Authorities play a key role in the development,articulation and sustainability of cultural landscapes.

...the development and articulation of the Maori culturallandscape will contribute to the health and well-being of

all who reside in and visit Aotearoa - through realising ourunique Aotearoa & Pacic identity.

So the challenge or question is: how will our proposals

and design processes seek to engage with the Te ArangaMaori Cultural Landscape Strategy?Source: Te Aranga Maori Cultural Landscape Strategy, 28 April 2008,Second Edition.

t e c h t a l k :e c o s y s t e m s e r v i c e s

Humankind benets from a multitudeof resources and processes that are

supplied by natural ecosystems.Collectively, these benets are known asecosystem services. Ecosystem services

are distinct from other ecosystem

products and functions because there ishuman demand for these natural assets.Services can be subdivided into ve

categories: provisioning, such as theproduction of food and water; regulating,such as the control of climate and

disease; supporting, such as nutrientcycles and crop pollination; cultural,such as spiritual and recreationalbenets; and preserving, which includes

guarding against uncertainty through themaintenance of diversity.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem services

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e c o f o n t

A new font that uses 20% less ink has been

released by Dutch company SPRANQCreative Communications: the Ecofont.The saving is achieved by many small

holes perforating each letter. The holesare not visible at a normal font size, butthey become clear as the font is enlarged.Pat Paiti is going to load this font onto

our computers so we can all start to save

the planet and save on printing costs.

Visit www.ecofont.com

w h a t s u s t a i n a b l e t h i n g s h a v e y o u b e e n u p t o o r c o m e a c r o s s ?w e ' d l o v e t o

h e a r f r o m y o u f o r t h e n e x t

i s s u e o f s e e d . . .

september 2009 chow hill sustainablity quaterly

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