Last November I wrote of thoughts I have had for a very long time regarding the possibility of there being negatives in fitting thermal insulation to the exterior face of an un-heated slab-on-ground concrete floor.

Shading is a double-edged sword. The varying aspects of shading as broadly defined need to be considered right from the beginning of the design process, due to the significant positive and negative effects it can have on solar gain throughout the cycle of the four seasons.

Blog post by Jerome Partington, JASMAX: I've written several posts which highlight the big challenges and likely outcomes New Zealand is facing by our current 'unsustainability' – especially issues of growing social inequality and unmanageable climate change.

Inadequate site selection decisions can eventuate in a closing-off of later desirable design options for efficient passive thermal design.

When making design decisions on thermal aspects of building materials and constructions, it is important to put them in perspective to maximise their performance – the inter-relational 'sweet-spot' – without compromising the liveability, aesthetics, buildability and economics of the completed project.

On balance, is there a long-term thermal and economic gain to be had from fitting insulation to the exterior face of a ‘slab-on-ground’ concrete floor... and is it as effective as it seems? 

Kiwis like to get things done – fast. The quicker the design period and the faster the build, the fewer overheads and less risk to the client and contractor. It makes good business sense. Or does it?

No matter how high the thermal performance of a window, it remains much less than the same area of a standard insulated wall. With this in mind, it would be wise to give the location of a building's windows careful consideration.

Just like thermal mass, insulation will keep you cold if you do not use it intelligently.

In his last blog Jerome Partington talked about the global and local sustainability crunch hitting people and communities hard across NZ and how we need to reconnect our future vision with nature – our key ally.