“Sustainability is not my issue,” protests one senior, a student in Parsons’ product design department. She’s presenting her term paper on a designer and maker of lamps. Two others in the class, also product majors, are appalled by this statement; so am I. We’ve just spent a semester returning, again and again, to discussions of our degrading natural environment and the need for everyone to figure out how to use this knowledge to design more sensitively.
Vision:Unitecs team consists of many people with diverse educational backgrounds and points of view. In line with SHaC objectives students are supported by individual academics, researchers, and industry practitioners. Purpose drives these students to innovate and share their knowledge with the community. Sustainability is now integrated into the Diploma of Applied Building Technology course and the Design school at Unitec. The research will align and inform programmes being taught.This house project came about because of a lack of data on the Interior environment of New Zealand homes. Unitec was aware that a 100 mm thick lightly insulated building envelope was not reaching world health organisation standards. Also issues with mould and fungi inside houses suggested that they were not being adequately ventilated.Program:Plans are completed, Engineering calculations complete, about to go to consent process. The key milestones are to have a building which fits the outcomes required by the course but also started a lot of cross discipline cooperation within Unitec. Presentation to major sponsors is on going and construction will start shortly.Geotech finished end June 2008,Engineering finished end Sept 2008,Detailed design finished 10/10/08Consent application lodgedPrefabrication starting 10/11/08Completion August 09
On Design 