Home Style Green

Justine Money describes herself as a British-Maori-Australian Architect. She brings a strong cultural sensibility to her practice. In this discussion, we chat about why Justine decided to take up the challenge of studying architecture as a mature-aged student, and her journey from biophilic design to Passive House.

Georgia Ezra has a lot on the go. Based in Melbourne, she's the Founder and Director of her own interior design practice Studio Ezra. She also sources and supplies artisan tiles through Tiles of Ezra and bespoke homewares via AHW. Georgia calls herself a 'treasure hunter and market maven'. She has a passion for pushing the boundaries of modern design to create truly unique interior spaces for her...

Joe Lyth is building his family home on a very tight budget. He's also building to the Passive House standard. In this interview, he shares some of his insights into why we must change the way we've been building 'wooden tents' in New Zealand, and how to go about creating a fit-for-purpose family home with very limited capital.

The Ministry of Innovation Building and Employment (MBIE) has released its consultation document for proposed changes to the New Zealand Building Code. This represents a great opportunity to positively impact the future of building standards. But does it go far enough?

Danielle King moved into the sustainability field about fifteen years ago and has built up her consultancy Green Move Australia with a diverse range of services. We discuss some of the typical advice she provides to clients and Danielle shares some of her own advice for running a viable sustainability business.

Stuart Lee loves what he does, which is mostly building Passive House homes in Victoria, Australia. He was an early adopter of sustainable building and it was during a Master Builder Green Living event that he heard Clare Parry speak about Passive House. It all made a lot of sense and Stuart enrolled himself on a Passive House Tradesperson course. In this interview, he describes what makes a home...

Mike Pickering is building an affordable but high quality, healthy and very energy efficient home for himself and his family on a lifestyle block in Napier. He's taken some learning from his experience building tiny homes and is sharing his project online. Check it out at https://ourlifeblock.co.nz

Scott Stewart used to fly in high performance aircraft with the Royal Australian Air Force. Now he helps architects, designers and builders with the high performance details of Passive House homes.

Hamish White is Director of Sanctum Homes, based in Victoria Australia. He's a registered Domestic Builder with a marketing degree! Since discovering Passive House, Hamish has been inspired to become a Passive House business. Architects, designers and other builders can be encouraged that there's a market out there and willing clients who want healthy, comfortable and energy efficient homes. I dis...

The Hawea Flat Passive House in the middle of the South Island is a very special home. It boasts a number of 'firsts' for New Zealand and the journey of its creation has arguably changed more than just the way Jonathan Holmes lives.

Michelle Rohrer-Lauer is an interior designer and business owner with nearly four decades of experience. She works with discerning clients out of her studio in Chicago, but her approach to sustainable design is applicable everywhere.

Jason Scheurer has always been a business owner and he's always been motived to learn. Today, he and his wife Penny own and operate Best Techs Contracting where they design, build and remodel homes. But not just any homes. I connected with Jason during an online Passive House event recently. In this interview, we discuss how he's gone from an inquisitive general contractor to a newly elected board...

Richard Keech lives in a zero-carbon home in Melbourne. After some time in the Royal Australian Air Force and then as a software engineering and consultant in the private sector, Richard now helps people to understand energy. Specifically, renewable energy and energy efficiency. We discuss why it's a good idea to get rid of gas and electrify your home.

Susan Inglis has always been a conscious consumer. In 2007 she helped set up the Sustainable Furnishings Council to promote awareness of all the 'stuff' we bring into our buildings. From curtains to carpets, and fittings and furniture, the products we bring into our homes have a huge impact on the environment. The Sustainable Furnishings Council works with industry to help inspire designers and co...

John Stulen is Co-Founder and Communications Director for Innovatek. He's passionate about wood and through the WoodWorks brand, John helps the construction industry by promoting the many benefits of engineered wood.

Dean Hoggart found geology fascinating. He followed this passion hoping for a career in geothermal energy. After becoming a successful geotechnical engineer and drilling holes looking for oil and minerals, Dean realised he wasn't really doing what he'd like to be doing. So he took a leap and changed career. Today, he's a Certified Passive House Designer and is very happy to be applying science to...

Jennifer Crawford first appeared on Home Style Green when Our New Home Coach was just getting started. Six years on, she's back to discuss her journey and why she still believes strongly in helping people build the right home.

WD Homes (Wayne Dyet Homes Ltd) is a family run residential construction company, established in January 2005, based in Dunedin. 'Certified Passive House' or 'Passivhaus' Construction has quickly become a speciality for WD Homes. In this episode, we discuss how Wayne got started as a builder and what he enjoys about building Passive Houses.

Steven Glaze is an expert in the exterior home remodelling industry and specialises in siding and gutter protection systems. He started in the business working as an assistant at his father's roofing company at the age of 16 and was estimating projects and managing crews by the time he was 18 years old. Today, Steve serves as Vice President of Sales for Smart Exteriors LLC, an award-winning home i...

Sheryl Owen's purpose is to create a sustainable environment where everyone can thrive. The environment, says Sheryl, should not be a commodity available for a select few. In order for us to elevate, we must be aware of our impact on the environment and marginalised communities. In her day job and her numerous volunteer roles, Sheryl Owen helps companies find opportunities to link their environmen...

While on tour as a young US Marine, Josh Oqueli was stationed in Spain for 6 months. In Barcelona, he walked into the Basílica de la Sagrada Família. At the time, he didn't know about the architect and master builder, Antoni Gaudi, but the experience of entering this enchanted space inspired Josh to find out. Gaudi's skill as both a designer and a builder resonated with Josh and led him on the pat...

Robert Sroufe, PhD. is a Professor of Sustainability, Operations and Supply Chain Management at Duquesne University. His practical experience comes from sustainable supply chain management. He was 'co-opted' into the green building movement by experts that he invited him to present to their students about the business opportunities associated with building green.

Living Shelter Architects is a design firm led by Terry Phelan in the Northwest of Washington State. The focus of their work is to provide healthy, resilient homes by combining natural materials with the "gifts of the site".

VCA Green provides green building consulting and commissioning. Their mission is to help clients achieve sustainability goals and long-term cost savings. I spoke with Principal Moe Fakih about where buildings sometimes go wrong and how companies like VCA Green can help with energy modelling, building rating, and commissioning. 

How is overlighting of our internal environments, and overshading our cities, affecting our wellbeing? Antony DiMase is a thoughtful Architect based in Melbourne, Australia. We discuss the role that architecture can play in making better places for people and the planet.