Sustainable Building Guidelines - Introduction
Straw bale house
Buildings have a big impact on the natural environment.
Wellington City Council has developed sustainable building guidelines to help homeowners, tenants, commercial property owners, architects, developers and builders make Wellington's buildings more sustainable.
The guidelines explain the benefits of sustainable building and provide options for achieving sustainability.
The guidelines are based on a range of New Zealand-wide resources about developing sustainable buildings including the Smarter Homes website, and work by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ).
Not all techniques and features will be appropriate to each building. Sometimes there are competing priorities, such as cost, durability and appearance, and tradeoffs have to be made to suit specific requirements.
Wellington City Council Initiatives
Several initiatives are underway to promote sustainable building practices. These include:
- free eco design advice for home building projects
- changes to the District Plan
- exploring other rule changes
- financial incentives.
Sustainable Energy Grant
A Sustainable Energy Grant is available for customers who are going through the building consent process. The building project must meet specific criteria relating to sustainable building technology, and the Council will stop taking applications if funding is fully dedicated before the end of the financial year.
Eco Design Advisor
A new service from Wellington City Council, the Eco Design Advisor provides free advice on home building projects to help create more energy efficient and sustainable homes.
The eco design service is available to Wellington:
- homeowners
- designers
- builders
- developers
- other building professionals.
For more information, contact:
Eco Design Advisor
| Address: | PO Box 2199 Wellington |
| Phone: | (04) 803 8582 |
| Email: | claire.benge@wcc.govt.nz |
District Plan Changes
Two proposed changes to the District Plan that encourage sustainable building are Change 32, which encourages the use of renewable energy sources, and Change 48, which encourages sustainability and energy efficiency in the central city.
The Council also offers other forms of assistance and advice. For example, the Southern Landfill composts untreated timber and some gib-boards. Contact the Council to discuss sustainable disposal options.
Building & Resource Consent
Building work usually requires a building consent and some projects also require resource consent. Contact the Council before beginning work to find out what is required.
Most types of construction work require a building consent to ensure compliance with the Building Act 2004 and the New Zealand Building Code. The Council’s Building Services team is responsible for administering this process.
A General Guide to the Building Consent Process (199Kb PDF)
A resource consent is required if a proposal does not comply with the District Plan. The District Plan details rules for residential and non-residential areas. The 'Guide to Resource Consents in Wellington City' outlines the full resource consent process.
Related Links
- Building Services
- Resource Consents
- Eco Design Advisor website
- Building Research Association of New Zealand website
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority website
- Energy Wise website
- Level Sustainable Building website
- Smarter Homes website
Department Details:
Policy
