Zui: Working smarter with nature
July 31st 12 -1pm
Photo: Auckland City Library's green roof, photo supplied.
With electricity prices at an all-time high, heritage institutions are increasingly becoming locked into the expensive task of providing custom climates for their collections.
Many museums spend a fair proportion of their annual budget just keeping the air conditioning running to ensure the 20°C and 50% humidity standard. That's money that could be going toward new exhibitions, community programmes, or simply keeping the doors open.
But what if there's a better way? Passive design is about working with our environment instead of against it—using the thermal mass of concrete walls, the insulation qualities of green roofs, and strategic airflow to create stable conditions without the constant expense of electricity. At this zui, four speakers from across the heritage sector will talk about the passive methods and techniques they have used for creating custom climate environments.
Speakers
Auckland City Library recently installed a green roof that naturally regulates temperature and humidity while reducing energy costs. At the zui, Senior Project Manager | Mātanga Poumua mō Ngā Wai Ora, Rachel Devine will discuss the planning and creation of this living roof – which was created with support of mana whenua – and how it works with the building's systems to create stable conditions.
Craig Dalgleish and Rawiri Tinirau at Rānana Marae took a different approach—custom-building their whare taonga to achieve an optimal level of preservation. At the zui, they will talk about the decisions that were made so that climate control systems were not required.
Lastly National Library’s Senior Conservator Vesna Zivkovic will talk about how she is championing changes to traditional climate standards without compromising the preservation needs of collections.
These institutions are discovering that working with natural systems often provides better collection care in which buildings are designed that align with our values as kaitiaki. The cost of keeping collections safe is becoming unviable, so working with passive systems is making even greater sense. By reducing energy consumption without compromising collection care, they demonstrate how sustainability and preservation can go hand in hand. Join us to explore practical strategies that support a more resilient future for our collections.
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