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Foreard Thinking - news from the LIUDD programme

Forward Thinking Issue 2, June 2008 - Design, Performance and Cost


In this issue:

Details of LIUDD Programme workshops planned from October 2008 will be available soon. Watch this space for registration information. Themes across a variety of disciplines are planned at different locations across NZ for site tours and seminar combinations.

 

Go to topEditorial

“Even while they teach, men learn”
Seneca, Roman philosopher, 4 BC – AD 65.

In this issue of ‘forward thinking’ we profile Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD) design, performance and cost projects. Although the stories are diverse – we look at results from monitoring devices and their actual costs, street design, biodiversity protection, and even workplace comfort – we recognise a common theme.  The researchers are always learning on the job, not only through the research, but by working with those seeking answers.  By working closely together on problems, all involved discover novel applications and innovative adaptations.

Looking at these projects also confirms there are no simple answers and no quick fixes; there is no panacea.  Costs are not only financial; critical thinking is required to solve issues; and much upskilling is required to make LIUDD mainstream.  However, the seekers are becoming the experts.  They adapt the results, the tools, and the designs to meet their own needs and then pass on their ideas and findings for others to use. 

And this is how LIUDD becomes integrated – by continuing to use tools innovatively, sharing the knowledge, and passing the mantle.   This is how to create good LIUDD design that performs well within economic constraints.  

Michael Krausse, Landcare Research & Jenny Dixon, University of Auckland

 

Go to topNews just to hand – first place

Viv Heslop of Vivacity Consulting Ltd and scientist Jane Puddephat of MWH are the overall winners for Hynds Best Presentation Award at the 2008 INGENIUM annual conference in Gisborne on 7–8 June.  Viv and Jane’s session, titled “PLACE changing | creating | making | enabling” involved some audience participation. 

Viv and Jane presented their work on behalf of the LIUDD programme.  “Engineers have an enormous influence on the public environment,” Viv says,  “so we wanted them to recognise how they affect how we enjoy places.” 

Because streets cover 30% of urban areas and are generally prescribed by engineering design, Viv and Jane focused on these as ‘place’.  They suggested street design need not be limited to functional elements and how, by applying LIUDD techniques and working with other professions, engineers can create great places.  They then put the engineers into workshop mode to design their ideal streetscapes.  “We got them thinking about what makes a street special,” Viv says, “and then to realise they change these places where people live.” 

Over 400 engineers involved in managing public assets attended the conference this year, with the theme of ‘first light inspiring innovation’.   Delegates voted Viv and Jane into first place for their inspiring presentation.

 

Go to topPerfecting performance

Raingarden: early growth

Raingarden: early growth

raingarden: fully grown with road in background

Raingarden: fully grown with road in background

When Landcare Research hydrologist Dr Sam Trowsdale monitored the performance of a rain garden that receives runoff from a local road on Auckland's North Shore, he was surprised how quickly contaminant concentrations built up.  “After just one year of operation, the sediment it captured was sufficiently contaminated to require landfill disposal,” Trowsdale says.  “Without filtration, those contaminants would have ended up in the harbour.”

Reporting the monitoring results at conferences later this year, Trowsdale will confirm the rain garden performed well.  He calculated the road carries 5 million vehicles annually, leading to contaminated runoff.  Results showed zinc and sediment levels in runoff were particularly high, but the rain garden reduced discharges by orders of magnitude.  “This confirms high levels of contaminants run off our roads every day and that biofiltration can effectively trap much of that before it reaches our waterways,” Trowsdale explains.  But with that effectiveness comes risk. Trowsdale recommends rain gardens be designed to prevent public access to planted areas and be managed carefully to ensure contaminated material is disposed of regularly and appropriately.

Landcare Research soil scientist Dr Robyn Simcock designs biofiltration systems to reduce contaminants, particularly where pollutant loads are high or the receiving waterways are sensitive.  She develops combinations of natural soils and manufactured substrates to support native plants and treat runoff.  “There are many advantages of aesthetically pleasing native ground covers, especially along roads and in light industrial and urban areas,” she says.  Simcock advises careful design, such as dense, tall planting to keep people out and contaminants in. “In the long term, filtration systems capture contaminants before they get into our waterways, but they also mitigate heat, glare, and dust, they provide habitat for native species, and they trap one-off spills to prevent shocks to streams.” 

Simcock says simple management changes to existing areas can be effective too. She uses the example of roadside mowing practices.  "Grass verges along highways become bioretention strips just by allowing existing plants to grow taller or planting naturally low-growing plants, and by minimizing herbicide use around drains and reflectors.”  When new roads are constructed she recommends establishing good filtration by increasing soil permeability in verges and choosing dense plant cover. 

But Simcock and Trowsdale both stress the importance of source control.  "Filtration devices such as raingardens can only reduce incoming contaminant loads," Simcock says.   “Ultimately, dramatic reductions can only be achieved by reducing contaminants at source.” Trowsdale agrees. “Stormwater treatment systems have an important part to play but they’re not a technological fix,” he says.

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Go to topComfort zones

Studies claim workers in sustainably designed buildings are happier, therefore more productive.  Landcare Research researcher Jeremy Gabe tested this theory, analysing staff satisfaction at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research’s eco-building in Tamaki between 2004–2007.  “Sustainable elements do offer satisfaction,” Gabe claims, “because individuals are better able to adapt to their environment.” 

Built in 2004, the building’s sustainable design elements include composting toilets, passive climate control and lighting, and collection, re-use, and treatment of rainwater runoff.  The mixed-use facility, which incorporates greenhouses and laboratories, houses almost 100 people, 6 000 000 insects and spiders, and 1 000 000 fungal specimens.

Designing the study, Gabe and fellow researchers expanded the National Australian Built Environmental Rating System (NABERS) building assessment tool for employee satisfaction.  Respondents scored satisfaction on a scale from 1–5 on a variety of specific questions covering thermal comfort, ventilation, lighting, noise, health, and unique building features.

Gabe included parallel questions to compare features of the Landcare building.  “Specialist collections and activities in parts of the building require conventional approaches to climate and lighting control while in other areas we could be more innovative,” Gabe says. “This allowed us to contrast attitudes to conventional and sustainable elements.”  In the last year of the study Landcare Research social researcher Alison Greenaway supplemented Gabe’s quantitative survey data with qualitative data using interactive video voice recording.

Gabe’s NABERS survey results indicated respondents were less satisfied with conventional areas of the building, particularly with lighting, thermal, and ventilation comfort.  These results match previous surveys of conventionally designed buildings.  In comparison, the more sustainably designed areas scored better.  Results for passive conditioning and manual control for temperature and ventilation comfort scored very positively against conventionally controlled areas.  The composting toilets also gained particularly high levels of satisfaction compared with other more conventional aspects of the building. 

One sustainable design feature proved consistently less satisfying – exposed concrete walls and floors.  Respondents believed bare concrete was aesthetically unpleasant, and some attributed noise problems to the hard surfaces.  However, concrete scored more positively in later surveys, whereas satisfaction with conventional features remained stable or declined. 

Video voice recordings allowed staff to give more individual reactions to the building.  Greenaway notes even glib comments are important.  One respondent reported it feels like working in a ship. Others referred to it as the tin can and the cow shed.  Greenaway explains, “humour or metaphorical language is often used to make sense of unusual or new surroundings, and can be part of the process of acceptance.”  Gabe agrees. “They feel part of an experiment and experience the features in that light.”

Gabe concludes the study shows occupants are increasingly satisfied with the sustainable design features.  “Give individuals the ability to adapt to and control their environment,” he says “and they feel more satisfied.”

Links

 

Go to topDesign frames

Making sense of the diverse needs, outcomes, and regulations governing local government infrastructure management does not faze landscape architect Christine Heremaia. Her application of design theory to infrastructure management at Christchurch City Council is generating creative results.

“The management of public infrastructure requires multiple design decisions by different people over time incorporating multiple values,” Heremaia says. “In a council, these decisions are guided by the various legislative requirements while taking into account present and future needs.”  By applying design concepts, she is able to link legislative requirements with community needs in the development of these types of assets.

LIUDD researcher and planner Viv Heslop sees the design philosophy linking well with her own work on capacity building in local government.  “This approach is innovative in the way in which it seeks to achieve multiple outcomes and create places in which people enjoy living, working, and playing,” Heslop says.  “Recognising this dynamic between outcomes is what planning is all about.”  The work of Christchurch City Council is being profiled in the upcoming Suburban Safari (see below for details).

Applying design expertise, Heremaia broke down infrastructure development and management into a three-pronged design approach: a framework for decision making, a process for design, and an overall way of thinking both creatively and logically.

The framework sets out requirements such as legislation (specifically, RMA and LGA, but district and regional plans and the like are just as applicable) to help identify the focus of the project or plan.  For instance, RMA and LGA focus on natural environment outcomes as well as community needs and aspirations, and key values can be identified using this framework.

The design process devises the asset and its entire life cycle. It includes the design idea or need, idea development and implementation, and maintenance of the asset and considering future replacement or upgrades. This type of thinking can reveal possible design solutions that weren’t initially apparent. It also catalogues influences on design decisions as different people become involved. This is particularly useful for large organisations.

Heremaia stresses critical thinking throughout is vital. “Successful design requires lateral thinking to create innovative ideas and pose open-ended questions, but also vertical thinking to develop ideas logically with purpose and pragmatism, while keeping the big picture in mind.” 

Heremaia points out how design crystallises abstract landuse policy by producing tangible results. “People make design decisions using policy all the time, but by its very nature, policy is general and wide-ranging,” she explains.  “Design enables policy to be translated into concrete form related to place. The incorporation of legislation, life-cycle thinking, creativity, and multi-values will result in innovative design solutions leading to sustainable landscapes to value and treasure for generations to come.”

Links

 

Go to topCan we rebuild the six million dollar forest?

Visiting urban ecologist Associate Professor Mark Hostetler argues that while native forests can be built from scratch on bare ground, it is at enormous cost.  Dr Colin Meurk, cultural landscape ecologist at Landcare Research, agrees.  “It’s not feasible,” he says. “It’s far better to protect and restore native remnants.” 

Working closely with Landcare’s Low-impact Urban Design and Development team (LIUDD), Hostetler has developed a comprehensive continuing education course, including a detailed manual, showing how to conserve and restore biodiversity in urban and rural environments.  Hostetler is in New Zealand as a Senior Fulbright Scholar until late July when he will return to the Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida.  “I’d heard about New Zealand’s LIUDD programme and recognised similarities with my Florida work,” he says.  “Although we’re conserving habitats for the likes of bears and panthers, rather than kiwi and geckos, the principles are the same.”  Hostetler notes parallels.  “Like New Zealand, Florida has burgeoning urban growth, which can destroy or fragment already compromised ecosystems,” he says.  “So, the lessons we’ve learned in Florida have direct application.” 

Hostetler and Meurk, along with other LIUDD scientists will run a four-hour pilot course with Nelson City Council in June, targeting built-environment professionals (developers), landowners, policymakers, and planners.  The course has three parts: Part 1 covers key biodiversity concepts, threats, reasons to conserve, and an overview of policy; Part 2 covers good subdivision practices; Part 3 comprises a workshop exercise to design a subdivision taking into account land criteria. The course emphasises biodiversity design and management at the subdivision, small commercial, and rural large lot scale.  Hostetler says future courses will have multiple target audiences, and ultimately, Local Authorities and other organisations and groups will present the course to their own stakeholders.

Meurk and Hostetler stress biodiversity conservation is affected at multiple levels, noting construction and post-construction actions can make or break conservation and restoration efforts.  “Policy makers and developers might create perfect designs using sound ecological principles,” Hostetler explains, “but if contractors and new residents don’t know how to nurture what is retained, then it’s doomed.”  Meurk points out most threatened habitats occur in coastal and lowland areas – places most desirable for rural and urban development. 

Hostetler says community buy-in is also crucial.  “People need to recognise local environmental values to take ownership.”  The course manual shows examples of Florida developers fostering active community participation and responsibility.  “Restored or conserved areas need managing, so local communities also need to know how to maintain natural features long term.” Meurk agrees. “People might live in or near natural environments, but not understand how their day-to-day actions can have negative consequences,” he says. “So, we need to achieve links between people, land and nature.”

Links

 

Go to topModel costs

When Sue Ira began working with Landcare Research to create a model to help predict real costs of stormwater management devices, she discovered data are not only scarce but often kept close to the chest.  Nevertheless, she’s developing a user-friendly web-based model for life cycle costing for individuals, groups, and organisations to tailor to their own needs.

Predicting the life cycle costs of stormwater devices makes sense – it helps compare options and balance performance benefits against costs, as well as allowing better budgeting, reporting, and auditing.  Whether it’s a developer designing a new subdivision, an engineer comparing devices, or a Local Authority assessing long-term infrastructure commitments, life-cycle costing is helpful. But until recently, making such complex predictions was beyond the scope of most designers. 

Ira discovered the scarce data the team could access were wildly variable, and required specialist expertise to interpret and compare.  “Data can be notoriously difficult to obtain because of financial sensitivity and lack of capturing systems and protocols,” Ira says. “This really confirmed the need for a model that can support decision making for different scenarios but is also easy to use,” she says.

Mike Krausse, leader of the LIUDD programme agrees. “Theoretical models often remain in the likes of academic institutions,” he says.  “But in this case it is the industry – developers, engineers, and local government – that needs information to make decisions.”

Ira described the model’s unit costing approach in a recent NZWWA article.  Unit costing is based on the premise that standard elements or units are involved in the construction and maintenance phases of a device.  This suits the New Zealand situation as these different elements can be costed by engineers using average tender rates.  “By adopting a unit costing approach we can develop unit cost data protocols, collect unit construction and maintenance elements, allow for future linkages to other models under development, and use an easy-to-use web based model,” she explains. 

Several Territorial Local Authorities, Transit NZ, a contractor, and two engineering consultancies participated in data collection, while NIWA continues working with the team to ensure it marries with the stormwater treatment model they are developing.  Initial results will be presented at the International Conference on Urban Drainage in Edinburgh.  Ira expects to launch the complete life cycle costing model in December this year, along with workshops.

Krausse says this model is a good example of research being put to innovative and practical use. “Sound models with flexibility for creative use are necessary,” he says.  “They allow the users to become the experts, helping others learn from their experiences.” 

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ISSN 1178-4059


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