Apropos of nothing but a brief review of how we got here, its a little bemusing too how fashion in the building standards change, isn't it.
We live in a reasonably well-designed and well-built 1960's house.
It had an open plan living room and warm air ducts under the fireplace and around and under the stairs, which distributed warm air to the bedrooms.
All the rooms had storey-height curtain rails which meant that if the house was used as intended, you would get through a lot of firewood, but you'd be very snug.
Since the Stardust, the great emphasis was on fire safety, so the idea of a design relying on wafting hot air around through open plan areas would not have a much appeal, particularly over three stories.
Insulation was put in cavities in walls, and was not expected from curtains: the attic was once again explored and converted.
Fire resisting construction and compartmentalised space planning were the order of the day, with big halls and rear wow factor conservatories.
Then for an oh-so-brief period [it seems now] we were preoccupied by the ozone layer, flourocarbons and acid rain, prompting the start of the green revolutions.
In the last few years we have seen rapid change riding roman on the twin steeds of sustainability and low carbon units.
<there's a Trekkie pun in there somewhere...>
We're only now catching our breath while wrapped in ever increasing layers of insulation, and we're told that's not enough, we need to be able to existing on no external power - carbon neutral buildings.
But now that people are asking technical questions, we're beginning to codify and better understand Building Physics.
- People are wondering if the BER rating scheme should apply to older properties at all.
- Former "experts" are finding out the truth behind the old saying that Lime Mortar needs to "breath" for a solid masonry building to stay healthy.
- Laypeople are wondering if all this sealing is good for us as humans and whether hermetically sealed houses can accommodate two point four kids and their dogs without a huge diminution of quality of life.
- Questions are being raised about our dependance on the hugely embedded energy products in the concrete industry and they're hitting back with titanium oxide admixtures that chemically "wash" carbon out of the air [where does it go, BTW?]
- Those who study embedded energy are thinking that massively insulating a house now might be less beneficial to the planet that just using some process or fuel which actively traps carbon - one we may have to invent.
- Over in the airline industry, arguments are being prepared about how all those smoke trails are actually cooling the planet [using the clear skies over America in the days after 9-11 to help form a baseline study!]
For someone who's technicaly trained and who's spent his career dealing with such issues this might be an exciting time.
However I think there is a danger that laypersons are becoming confused.com with a disastrous set of end results in sight.
Freedom with no direction or oversight always leads to disaster - ask any Banker.
Wherever the construction industry goes from here, we're living in interesting times.
FWIW
ONQ.
