Faculty of Social Science Sustainable
Urban Institute Resilience Pecha Kucha
22nd October 2015
Housing resilience
Prof. Fionn Stevenson
Sheffield School of Architecture
The problem with housing…
Smart’ buildings = increasing the use of technology
Optimising systems – cannot cope with uncertainty
Climate adaptation based on products - not interactivity
adaptivity
Climate change denial = ‘control’ the environment
Examining 3 case studies in UK
Case study
Lancaster Cohousing
Completion
Location
Size + units
2012
Semi-Rural
Medium, 35 units
Owned
New build terrace
houses/ apartments in
blocks
Masonry and
timber frame, clay roof
tiles, timber floor
PV panels, MVHR,
communal biomass/solar
thermal, radiators
House types
Fabric
materials
Energy,
heating and
ventilation
features
Energy
standards
Passivhaus certified,
‘Zero Carbon’ Code for
Sustainable Homes level
6 (UK)
LILAC
Cohousing
2013
Urban
Medium, 20 units
Mutually owned
New build terrace houses/
apartments in blocks
Saxton
Gardens
2011
Urban
Large, 200 units
Owned/rented
Refurbishment 1950’s
apartment block
Straw/timber panel system,
flat roof, concrete floor
Concrete structure and
slabs, SIPS panels, flat
roof
MEV, thermostatic
programmed electric
heating panels
PV panels, MVHR, natural
gas boilers in each home,
radiators
Code for Sustainable
Homes Level 4
2006 Building Regulations
for retrofit in UK
Eco Homes Very Good
Lancaster Co-housing
5
ing, UK
LILAC
Co-housing Leeds
17/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield
6
Saxton Gardens housing Leeds
17/07/2016 © The University of Sheffield
Critical vulnerabilities
Heating sources
Saxton = national grid for electricity is single source of heat
Lancaster = robust and resilient with multiple power
sources (PV, hydro, biomass, solar thermal, natural gas
backup)
LILAC = natural gas, national grid for electricity only
Ventilation systems
MVHR, MEV = poor interactive adaptivity, failure to
respond after power cuts, occupants forget controls or
fail to understand them.
Critical vulnerabilities
Windows and doors
Saxton = only minimal 10cm openings leading to
overheating (only 30% openable area of glazing)
Lancaster and LILAC = larger openings (50% of glazing
area)
Critical vulnerabilities
Building fabric
Saxton = MEV switched off
but leaky fabric provides
enough ventilation
Little solar shading in any
of the case studies
Balconies only provide part
shading in Lancaster
Lessons for co-evolutionary
adaptivity
1. Future proof buildings for sequential upgrades –
remember natural ventilation strategies
2. Create redundancy and diversity in ventilation system
3. Stress test for affordance – how usable is the building in
extreme situations?
4. Develop passive co-evolutionary strategies
5. Collective learning on site – new tools being developed
Thank you – any
questions?