What do I (as an architect) need to provide for the 3-Step process?
You have a new project and you’re looking to engage an energy efficiency consultant following the completion of a concept design, but what do you need to provide the energy efficiency consultant to get the most out of early engagement?
The key outcome of the early engagement is to accurately paint a picture of 1) what the home will feel like for your clients, 2) what the home needs to achieve compliance, and 3) what the home’s ultimate energy efficiency potential is. By overlaying these 3 outcomes together, you and your client are empowered to make informed decisions about what healthy, comfortable, and resilient looks like for their family and their home.
For us at ARKATA, accuracy is paramount and very important. To achieve the above outcomes and limit the amount of assumptions we make, the minimum for what we need to provide a detailed picture of the home are:
Site plan/s including north point
A site plan allows the consultant to situate the home in the environment, understand the sites exposure category which influences the windspeed the project is under, and understand the project’s surrounding context, such as neighbours, shading, and natural landscape
Floor plan/s with dimensions
Elevations with ceiling heights
Elevations are crucial at this stage, they allow the consultant to understand eaves, roof lines, window sizes, openabilities and shading, interactions between your intention with materials, colours, and architectural features
A very rough, undetailed section
It’s understandable that sections are usually not resolved or likely even created at this stage and that is totally fine. Energy efficiency consultants don’t love relying on assumptions. Instead, a rough section allows us to understand how the levels are interacting in the home, for example, how you might be intending to construct a feature cathedral ceiling and how this interacts with adjacent roofspaces
AND/OR a 3D model that allows section cuts
If section drawings are not available at this stage, that’s totally fine! If you’re building the home in a 3D software like SketchUP, Revit, or ArchiCAD then you have the ability to share a 3D model with consultants who can then fly around, cut sections, and investigate the model you have built - this saves you time in having to create new drawings at an early stage of the project where things can change
Any early ideas of products or features that might be included
This could be gas or electric fireplaces, solar and/or batteries, ventilated cavities and other unique construction methodologies. These don’t have to be nailed down or completely committed to because we can explore these types of inclusions and their impacts on the home
The above list is usually enough to create a base assessment model that is accurate and useful for exploration, investigation, analysis and comparison.
Things like reflected ceiling plans, electrical and lighting plans, window schedules, can certainly come later and don’t impose great limitations on the initial assessment and exploration. As accredited assessors, we have a series of “defaults” we apply when the plans lack detail and information for us to enter into the model. In these cases, we always explain these defaults and assumptions so that you know what is being assessed and where you’re sitting.
Once you have an accurate reading and understanding of the home and how it could feel for your clients, as an architect you’re likely then moving through planning approvals and onto construction documentation. I recommend you don’t wait too long to get started with Step 2, but with Step 2, we certainly require a little more information this time around.
To get us started though of course, we will need to know what selections and inclusions you have made with your client with respect to energy efficiency. By now you have a far more clear picture of what you’re intending to include and exclude from the initial investigations, and of course, because the minimum compliance requirement were identified early, you will likely be above this (bar any design changes or unforeseen circumstances) come time for Step 2. But because you and your client have the power to decide, instead of being forced into upgrades to meet minimum compliance, you have likely chosen something that solves the cost-benefit equation in a balanced way, leading you to the most optimal outcome for your client.
Once those energy efficiency features have been selected, we’ll need your construction drawings to finalise the star rating and whole of home assessment.
But what do we need to finalise and issue that NatHERS certificate for your building approvals?
Site plan/s
Floor plan/s
Elevations
Sections
Construction material details such as wall, floor, roof schedules
Electrical plan
Lighting plan
Window, skylight, roof window, and door schedules, including sizes, preferred glass and frame type, opening styles, and locations
Appliance schedule
Solar panel layouts and details
Battery details
Pool specifications
It’s also important to note that we need the energy efficiency details that were coordinated to be put on the plans. If they’re not, we have to use “Default” values where required which will dampen the Star Rating and Whole of Home score.
Through understanding what’s needed for Step 1 and Step 2, you set yourself, the clients and the project up for success. The more detailed and accurate the information you provide, the more precise and insightful the energy efficiency outcomes will be.
Through early project collaboration with an energy efficiency consultant, you gain clarity, flexibility, and confidence to move forward. This allows you to focus on what you do best: designing beautiful architecture.
So, as you prepare for your next project, remember: the information you provide lays the foundation for outcomes that not only meet but exceed expectations. But also remember, we don’t always need all the information in Step 1, because this is where we explore the possibilities to help you make those decisions with a little more insight into their impacts!