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Eco Design Advisors for three Councils

10 August 2006

Three Councils are set to benefit from a BRANZ pilot scheme offering an advisory service in eco-design of buildings.

Waitakere and Hamilton City Councils along with Kapiti Coast District Council have made arrangements with BRANZ to implement the scheme, which will see an Eco Design Advisor (EDA) offering practical advice on sustainability principles in housing.

According to Senior Scientist Roman Jaques, who manages the scheme, it is being offered to Councils in an effort to make some of the findings of sustainability research conducted by BRANZ, available to designers, builders and homeowners. “We know that given the choice, people willingly adopt eco-friendly practices as part of their lifestyle. It is the same with the buildings they live and work in. Our research over a number of projects, shows that eco-friendly building design, building materials, energy and water management systems create a lot of interest. Making an Eco Design Advisor available to Councils is a practical way of transferring the outcomes of this research to those who are most likely to use it,” he said.

The Eco Design Advisors will work from Council premises and will be available to make site visits to building projects. There is no charge for the advice. The scheme starts in September and may be extended to other Councils after the ten-month pilot. This scheme forms an important component in the wider sustainability strategies and range of programs run by each of the three councils.

The project is jointly funded by the Ministry for the Environment and Building Research, as well as the three participating councils.

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BRANZ & Building Research – Who We Are

BRANZ Ltd delivers research, testing, consultancy and educational services. While BRANZ Ltd has its own Board, it is owned by Building Research but draws only 40% of its income from investments by Building Research.
BRANZ should not be referred to as the Building Research Association of New Zealand, even by way of explanation. BRANZ Chief Executive is Peter Robertson.
www.branz.co.nz

Building Research is a separate entity governed by a Board drawn widely from industry. Building Research invests in an extensive range of research, technology transfer and scholarship activities, with funds provided by the Building Research Levy.
www.buildingresearch.org.nz

ENDS

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