Home Style Green

Welcome to the first episode of Build Aotearoa for 2026.   Coming up this year,  the NZGBC will be celebrating 20 years of advocating for better buildings in New Zealand. The update of the update of H1 is bedding in, but many builders are turning their attention to roof condensation and overheating. And the market seems to be in a prolonged period of 'cautious optimism'. 

In this episode, I continue my coverage of the THRIVE 25 Conference with a series of interviews from the trade show floor. I spoke with leading suppliers whose products and innovations are helping shape the future of Passive House construction in Australasia. From high-performance windows to advanced ventilation systems, each guest shares their unique contribution to better building. https://www.p...

I chatted with the wide range of exhibitors at the 2025 Australian Passivhaus Conference, THRIVE 25 in Melbourne. This year saw a growing contingent of panel suppliers along with a variety of window manufacturers, membrane suppliers and more. Special thanks to Environtecture and the Australian Passivhaus Association for supporting the Passive House Accelerator to be there and bring you these highl...

The government is seeking consultation on insulation standards. Again. Jason Quinn has waded through the details and provided a handy summary . Check it out, and get your submission in by 28 February 2025.

The government has released New Zealand's second emission reduction plan and it does mention building and construction.  Elrond Burrell shared his thoughts.  View the ERP 2 at https://environment.govt.nz/publications/second-emissions-reduction-plan-at-a-glance/ Follow Elrond on LinkedIn and read his review of ERP at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/erp2-building-construction-what-impact-have-elrond-...

I'm joined again by Sharon Robinson and Glenn Harley for a chat about the possibility of builder self-certification and MBIE's updated weather files. 

Wao Summit 2024 is happening next week, 29th October - 2nd November. Speakers include John Bell, Monique Kelly, Dr. Jim Salinger, Alec Tang, Jane Lloyd, Dr. Greg Bodeker, Sam Gibson, Paul Spoonley and more! Tickets and information https://www.wao.co.nz/summit2024

I caught up with Glenn Harley and Joseph Lyth to talk about the recent Passive House conference in Wellington, and other building issues in Aotearoa. 

https://www.resilienz.co.nz/

Notes from RMBA's Constructive Industry Forum. 

Wao is a collective dedicated to a regenerative future. I caught up with co-founder Monique Kelly to discuss why she does what she does, and their upcoming Summit.  For more information check out https://www.wao.co.nz/summit2024  

99 Waiwai Drive, Milldale north of Auckland looks like a regular new house in a regular new subdivision, but around 30 people visited the site mid-build to see why it's different. This showhome will be one of the Platinum Homes high-performance range. It's a SIP (structural insulation panel) construction and achieved a near Passive House level of airtightness.  I caught up with Sam Watt, the Gener...

Kirsty Merriman is a property developer who is conscious about the type of homes she delivers. She's interested in sharing her knowledge about profitable and responsible project management.  https://kirstymerriman.com/

In this episode of Build Aotearoa, I explore the concept of building circularity and its impact on the construction industry. Learn about deconstruction vs. demolition and reflect on the reduce-reuse-recycle hierarchy. I also discuss the role of polystyrene pods and alternative fillers in concrete slabs.  Be sure to check out recent episodes of the Passive House Podcast from the Passive House Acce...

The New Zealand Building Code does not guarantee performance in all areas that many homeowners might expect. Fortunately, Homestar is available to close the performance gaps. Homestar Headline Benefits •    Fresh air •    Dry •    Comfort •    Carbon   Homestar Design Checklist This is a summary of the basic requirements over and above basic building code compliance for achieving 6 Homestar v5. In...

Scott Fisher is the CEO of Offsite NZ. I caught up with him to discuss the history, current practice and future opportunities of offsite manufacturing in the building industry in Aotearoa.  https://www.offsitenz.com/

While researching a presentation to open the NZGBC 2024 Housing Summit, I looked into the climate initiatives of Europe and the US.  In Europe, over  € 83b has been recently been committed by the European Parliament as part of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The ultimate goal is that the building sector will be climate neutral by 2050. Importantly, there are interim goals for 2030 a...

This week I attended a BRANZ seminar titled 'Building for our changing climate'. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was the last stop on the BRANZ seminar tour of the country and it's encouraging to think that rooms of designers, builders, product suppliers, building officials and others, were interested enough in this topic to take four hours out of their week.  A key takeaway is that we're not prepared. W...

Steve Penny is the founder and director at Honoris , a building services consultancy in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is also the host of his own podcast, A Penny for Your Thoughts .

Many people might be surprised to know that the New Zealand Building Code does not require any consideration of overheating in homes. The energy efficiency requirements in our code are based only on the ability of buildings to keep warm without excessive heat loss. There is nothing to prevent homes from being designed with large areas of unshaded north or west-facing glass. Siân Taylor is an Archi...

Stärke has been in the window industry in New Zealand since the 80s. They were at the forefront of supplying aluminium frames to the building industry but have recently made some big changes. With a focus on building performance, Benjy Simmons describes the new direction of Stärke as a 'once-in-fifty-year' change. While the company has a long legacy, they've experienced rapid change over the last...