Existing Homes
Current projects
Beacon’s expertise is contributing to a co-design process reshaping the Auckland-Wide Healthy Housing Initiative.
Changing behaviour through social media
Changing student behaviour to improve housing conditions via a social media campaign was the challenge we set our Unitec intern in 2016.
Rental housing fact bank
Rental housing forms a third of existing homes in New Zealand and surveys show it is generally a poor performer. We have developed a fact bank to support discussions on how to upgrade this older housing stock.
Assessing options for Tamaki homes
This Building Levy-funded research project assessed whether upgrading or retiring was a better option for privately owned homes in Tamaki.
Ngati Whatua o Kaipara housing
Beacon’s Home Assessment and Prioritised Plan Builder has assisted Ngati Whatua o Kaipara in the first stage of an ambitious project to improve housing for its whanau.
Build Back Smarter pilot project
The extensive repair and rebuilding required in Christchurch presents an opportunity to include upgrades which will improve the performance of the region’s housing stock - we call this building back smarter.
The Build Back Smarter pilot project undertook upgrades of seven homes to show that home performance improvements can and should be included in the ‘standard’ repair of earthquake-damaged Christchurch homes.
The pilot project led to the launch of the Build Back Smarter Service by Christchurch City Council.
The HomeSmart Renovation project
The HomeSmart Renovation project aimed to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable renovation on a large scale. 650 homeowners received an individually tailored renovation plan (based on our research so far) which showed participants how to get the best return on their investment, by drawing up a detailed pathway to improve the sustainability of their home. We then tracked what changes homeowners made to their homes, and collected data on how well their homes performed before and after renovation. The project has given us a snapshot of the actual condition and performance of homes across New Zealand.
Find out more about the Papakowhai Renovation project
The Papakowhai Renovation Project
Nine ‘ordinary’ New Zealand homes in Papakowhai were renovated with different packages of energy, water, waste and indoor environment quality improvements. Some houses were renovated to a high standard of sustainability, while other houses had more modest interventions to compare the performance and cost-effectiveness of different packages. The homes were monitored before and after renovation for a clear comparison on their performance.
