Abstract
What makes a sustainable house? One might suggest it should be energy-efficient, resilient to climate change and still comfortable. Indeed in Australia, we see aspects of these three priorities being exercised: energy-efficiency standards being introduced into residential requirements of the National Construction Code in 2003, bushfire requirements expressed as a national standard in 2009, and the constant demand for more efficient and round-the-clock climate control. All these actions relate to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Climate Action. One might assume that these trends mark progress for both the environment and the home owners. However there is a dark side to the story, because in the very effort of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (also one of the functional objective of the national construction code), the construction industry has inadvertently implemented practices that have led to entrapment of moisture in buildings, thus compromising their habitability. Using data from Tasmania, this chapter shows how common mistakes in building science, design and construction have led to a widespread increase of condensation in buildings located in cool climates. Condensation has further led to other problems with mould and health (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being), making new code-compliant houses potentially uninhabitable after experiencing their first winter. These challenges need to be in the wider discussion of architecture, construction, indoor microbiology and public health when sustainable housing standards are being promoted.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
ABCB (Australian Building Codes Board). (2010). BCA Section J assessment and verification of an alternative solution. Canberra: Australian Government and States and Territories of Australia.
ABCB (Australian Building Codes Board). (2016). NCC volume one energy efficiency provisions (4th ed.). Australian Government and States and Territories of Australia.
Adrienne. (2014, June). Are your health problems black mold symptoms? Retrieved from http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/black-mold-symptoms-mold-exposure-symptoms/.
AIRAH, Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating. (2016). DA20 humid tropical air conditioning. australian institute of refrigeration, air conditioning and heating.
Ambrose, M. D., & Syme, M. (2015). House Energy Efficiency Inspections Project–Final Report. CSIRO, Australia.
American Industrial Hygiene Association. (2013). Position statement on mold and dampness in the built environment.
Andersen, B., Frisvad, J. C., Søndergaard, I., Rasmussen, I. S., & Larsen, L. S. (2011). Associations between fungal species and water-damaged building materials. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 77(12), 4180–4188. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02513-10.
ASHRAE. (2009). ASHRAE position document on airborne infectious diseases.
Babbitt, J. D. (1939). The diffusion of water vapour through various building materials. Canadian Journal of Research, 17a(2), 15–32. http://doi.org/10.1139/cjr39a–002.
Barbosa-Cánovas, G. V., Fontana Jr, A. J., Schmidt, S. J., & Labuza, T. P. (2008). Water activity in foods: Fundamentals and applications. Wiley.
Barre, H. J. (1938). The relation of wall construction to moisture accumulation in fill type insulation (Doctoral). Iowa State College. Retrieved from http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=14546&context=rtd.
Bloom, E., Grimsley, L. F., Pehrson, C., Lewis, J., & Larsson, L. (2009). Molds and mycotoxins in dust from water-damaged homes in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Indoor Air, 19(2), 153–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2008.00574.x.
BSOL, Building Standards and Occupational Licensing. (2014). Condensation in Buildings: Tasmanian Designers’ Guide. Department of Justice, Tasmanian Government.
CSIRO. (1991a). Condensation in houses. Division of Building, Construction and Engineering.
CSIRO. (1991b). Condensation in houses (Notes on the Science of Building No. NSB 61). Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmanian Government. (2015). Guide to assessing unhealthy premises. Retrieved from http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/223366/Guide_to_Assessing_Unhealthy_Premises_final_1June15_1.pdf.
James, C. (2006). Roof collapse women compensated. The advertiser. Retrieved from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/roof-collapse-women-compensated/story-e6frea83–1111112639825.
Kelman, B. J., Robbins, C. A., Swenson, L. J., & Hardin, B. D. (2004). Risk from inhaled mycotoxins in indoor office and residential environments. International Journal of Toxicology, 23(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10915810490265423.
Kemp, P., & Neumeister-Kemp, H. (2010a). Australian mould guideline: The go-to guide for everything mould/by Peter Kemp and Heike Neumeister-Kemp. Sydney: Messenger Publishing.
Kemp, P., & Neumeister-Kemp, H. (2010b). The mould worker’s handbook: A practical guide for remediation. Osborne Park, W.A: The Enviro Trust.
Kendrick, B. (2000). The fifth kingdom (3rd ed.). Newburyport, MA: Focus.
Kowalski, W. (2005). Aerobiological engineering handbook: Airborne disease and control technologies (1st ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional.
Law, T. (2013). Comfort energetics: Thermal comfort under energy constraints. In The future of thermal comfort in an energy-constrained world (pp. 83–115). Springer International Publishing. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978–3–319–00149–4_5.
Lstiburek, J. (2010). The perfect wall. Insight. Retrieved from http://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi–001-the-perfect-wall.
NRC (National Research Council Canada) CCC (Canadian Codes Centre). (2015). Section 9.36. Energy efficiency. In National building code of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.bccodes.ca/BCBC_9%2036%20EnergyEfficiency.pdf.
Page, E. H., & Trout, D. B. (2001). The role of Stachybotrys mycotoxins in building-related illness. AIHAJ: A Journal for the Science of Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety, 62(5), 644–648.
Palmer, D. (2012, December). Nail plate separation from a truss member is one of the contributing factors behind the Riverside Golf Club roof collapse. Retrieved August 9, 2016 from http://reliablehomeinspections.com.au/real-estate-agent-discourages-against-having-building-inspections/.
Parker, J. (2014). Lessons to be learnt from the pink batts disaster [Text]. Retrieved August 12, 2016 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014–05–21/parker-lessons-to-be-learnt-from-the-pink-batts-disaster/5466762.
Pasanen, A.-L., Juutinen, T., Jantunen, M. J., & Kalliokoski, P. (1992). Occurrence and moisture requirements of microbial growth in building materials. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 30(4), 273–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/0964-8305(92)90033-K.
Peake, D. (2015). Forensic engineering critique of mold expert opinions. Environmental Claims Journal, 27(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/10406026.2014.998483.
Shoemaker, R. (2011). Surviving mold : Life in the era of dangerous buildings. Otter Bay Books.
Shoemaker, R. C., & House, D. E. (2006). Sick building syndrome (SBS) and exposure to water-damaged buildings: Time series study, clinical trial and mechanisms. Neurotoxicol Teratology, 28(5), 573–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2006.07.003.
Sivasubramani, S. K., Niemeier, R. T., Reponen, T., & Grinshpun, S. A. (2004). Assessment of the aerosolization potential for fungal spores in moldy homes. Indoor Air, 14(6), 405–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2004.00262.x.
Small, B. M. (2003). Creating mold-free buildings: A key to avoiding health effects of indoor molds. Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal, 58(8), 523–527. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEOH.58.8.523-527.
State of Tasmania. (1997). Division 2 - Unhealthy premises. In Public Health Act 1997 - An Act to protect and promote the health of communities in the State and reduce the incidence of preventable illness. Hobart, Australia: State of Tasmania. Retrieved from http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/tas/consol_act/pha1997126/.
Straaten, J. F. V. (1967). Thermal performance of buildings. Elsevier Publishing Co.
Szokolay, S. (2008). Introduction to architectural science. Architectural Press.
Täubel, M., & Hyvärinen, A. (2016). Occurrence of mycotoxins in indoor environments. In Environmental mycology in public health (pp. 299–323). Elsevier.
Thorn, A. (2016). Supreme Court decision “extremely good news” for claimants in action against James Hardie. Retrieved August 9, 2016 from http://goodcladding.co.nz/announcements.html.
Thrasher, J. D., & Crawley, S. (2009). The biocontaminants and complexity of damp indoor spaces: More than what meets the eyes. Toxicology & Industrial Health, 25(9/10), 583–615.
Wannemacher, R. W., & Wiener, S. L. (1997). Chapter 34: Trichothecene mycotoxins. In R. Zajtchuk (Ed.), Medical aspects of chemical and biological warfare. Office of The Surgeon General: Maryland.
Workplace Standards Tasmania. (2009). Unhealthy premises: A guide for environmental health officers. Hobart: Tasmanian Public and Environmental Health Service. Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/47658285.
World Health Organisation (WHO). (2009). Guidelines for indoor air quality: Dampness and mould. Denmark: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
Zain, M. E. (2011). Impact of mycotoxins on humans and animals. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 15(2), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscs.2010.06.006.
Acknowledgements of Funding Source and Student Contribution
The case studies House-MW2 and House-BN were undertaken as funded research by the Building Standards and Occupational Licensing, Tasmanian Government under project RT106855, “Investigation of Destructive Condensation in Australian Cool temperate Buildings”. Access to the condensation survey results was possible though the Australian Building Codes Board under a research consultancy RT108992, “Scoping study of condensation in residential buildings”. The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Stephen Tristram, Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology from the School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania (UTAS) for identifying the moulds in the collected samples. Dr. Des FitzGerald and Dr. Bennet McComish, both from the School of Maths & Physics, UTAS, have assisted greatly in the statistical analysis of the ABCB Survey data.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Law, T., Dewsbury, M. (2018). The Unintended Consequence of Building Sustainably in Australia. In: Leal Filho, W., Rogers, J., Iyer-Raniga, U. (eds) Sustainable Development Research in the Asia-Pacific Region. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73293-0_31
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73293-0_31
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-73292-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-73293-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)