ECO HOUSE

It has become more and more clear to us all in the last few years that we can't keep on living the same way as we are now. Pollution, using up our natural resources and over-population are real issues for people in all parts of the world.

People are having to think more carefully about how and what they use in everyday life. Reduce, re-use, re-cycle is a phrase for the 90s.

What are some of the energy and resource saving ideas people have come up with to reduce the use of scarce resources, to re-use things that we already have and to recycle old things into new?

One of the things architects are investigating in a big way now during their training and in their professional work is building "Eco houses" - houses that save power and trees and don't destroy or intrude on the natural environment around them.

Collaborate with your partner school in designing an "Eco house".

Think about the materials you will use in the construction of the house, how it will be kept cool in summer and warm in winter, how long the materials will last and what will happen to them when they are no longer needed. How will you make the house energy efficient so that you don't have to use so much electricity?

You may like to design an experiment to test the properties of the materials you are thinking of using. Which materials will keep the house warm or cool? How will the house blend into the environment and avoid disturbing the other living creatures of the area?

Are any "Eco houses" already existing in NZ or Britain, if so where are they and what sorts of things have been done to make them "green"?

What are some of the different requirement we might have for houses in NZ and Britain, eg suitable for more or less rain, hotter weather, high winds or flooding. Investigate the weather patterns in your two areas, what conditions will your eco house have to withstand?

What would be the good and bad effects of having laws that say all new houses must be energy efficient and environmentally sound?

National Curriculum areas covered:
New Zealand - Level 4
Science	Social Studies	Technology	English
Material world 1,2,4 Planet Earth and Beyond 1 Science and technology 1	Strand C 1,2 Strand E 2	Strand A 2a Strand B 5, 6a,6b,6c,6d Strand C 8	Listening 1,4,5 Speaking 1,4,5 Reading 1,2,4,5 Writing 3,5,6 Viewing 4 Presenting 1,4
Britain - Stage 3
Science	Geography	Design & Technology
Experimental & Investigative Science 1a-h, 2a-e, 3a-g, 4a-c Materials and their properties 1jk, 2c, 5a-h	Thematic studies 9ac, 10b, 15a-e	1abc, 2ab, 3a-hjkl 4b, 9abcd