The Built Environment

Jason O’Hagan from Weathertex joins Dean to break down one of the more widely used alternative cladding products in Australia. This conversation looks at how Weathertex is made, where it fits in the shift toward lightweight construction, and why more builders are starting to question the materials they use for performance, and also the health and environmental impact. There’s also a broader discus...

Recorded live at Sydney Build, Dean is joined by Sean Bull (Xlam), Zac Kerr (Stiebel Eltron) and Dylan Viviers (Holcim) to explore how construction can meaningfully reduce carbon emissions. The panel unpacks the difference between embodied carbon and operational carbon, and where builders, designers and suppliers can take practical action today. From mass timber and prefabrication to heat pumps, s...

This is Part 2 of Dean’s conversation with Tom Stephenson from Stiebel Eltron. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, start there first. In this episode the conversation moves beyond heat pumps to the broader systems that make high-performance homes work — ventilation, airtightness, building fabric and energy management. Tom walks through the design of his own all-electric home, explaining how geother...

Dean sits down with Tom Stephenson from Stiebel Eltron to unpack heat pump technology and the role it plays in electrifying modern homes. Tom explains how heat pumps work, why they’re significantly more efficient than gas systems, and how pairing them with solar PV changes the way homes consume and store energy. They explore why improving building fabric should come before adding mechanical system...

Dean sits down with Daniel Gudsell from Abodo to unpack timber, forestry and embodied carbon, and how material choices shape the long term impact of what we build. Daniel shares the origin story of Abodo, from exporting timber into the Pacific Islands to developing thermally modified radiata pine as an alternative to old growth hardwoods. Daniel also breaks down how fast growing plantation timber...

Dean sits down with Sean Bull from Xlam to unpack cross laminated timber (CLT) — how it’s made, how it performs, and whether it can play a meaningful role in reducing embodied carbon across Australian construction. Sean shares his journey from structural engineering and post-tension concrete into the mass timber space, and explains how CLT panels are manufactured, pressed and machined in Australia...

Dean sits down with former builder and Passive House tradesman now working with Pro Clima, Stewart Scholten from Scholton Group, to talk about membranes, moisture management, airtightness and the shift happening in Australian construction. Stu shares his journey from carpentry apprenticeship through high-end residential construction, working with Bellavarde, delivering the first certified Passive...

Passive House is one of the most misunderstood concepts in residential construction... often dismissed as “too expensive,” “too European,” or “not suited to Australian climates.” In this episode, Dean sits down with Daniel Kress, founder of Smart Plus Academy, to talk about what Passive House is, how it works, and why builders need to understand it. Drawing on decades of experience across Germany,...

In Part Two of this massive conversation, Dean Bowen returns to unpack the most confusing, frustrating and misunderstood part of the building industry: Home Warranty Insurance in New South Wales.. why it exists, how it works, and why the system is failing both builders and homeowners. They get brutally honest about the bureaucratic mismanagement behind the scheme, the insolvency crisis driving rec...

Insurance is one of the biggest blind spots in the construction industry and often the most expensive. In this episode, Dean sits down with Dean Bowen, founder of DLB Insurance & Risk Solutions, to unpack what builders actually need to know about contract works, liability, claims, premiums, and the risks most policies never explain. From why premiums have skyrocketed, to the truth about subbie...

Electrification seems to be the most practical, cost-effective pathway for Australian homes to cut emissions and save money. In this episode, Dean sits down with author, engineer and electrification advocate Saul Griffith to break down the real opportunities in front of us, and what we know is already working. They dig into the practical realities behind the headlines: Why rooftop solar is now so...

We’re back with Zara D'cotta from The Healthy Home to continue our chat about designing and building healthier homes. This time, the conversation takes an unexpected turn, when Zara raises some concerns about low-carbon concrete. As a builder who’s used Holcim’s EcoPact mixes on site, he digs deeper to separate myth from material fact. After Zara’s segment, you’ll hear directly from Holcim in resp...

Concrete and carbon get all the airtime, but over the next two weeks, we zoom in on the indoor environment. In part one of this chat, Dean talks with building biologist Zara D'Cotta about the five pillars of a healthy home (air, light, water, low-EMF, low-tox), what NCC 2022 condensation changes really mean on site, and the simple design choices that stop you building a mould pit. We'll be back wi...

From coal loaders to clean energy, Finn Peacock’s journey mirrors Australia’s shift toward renewables. In this episode, Dean sits down with the founder of SolarQuotes.com to unpack what’s really happening in the solar and battery space, and what builders, architects and homeowners need to know right now. They cover: Finn’s path from electrical engineer to solar expert The truth about system qualit...

Concrete might be the backbone of our built environment, but it’s also one of the world’s biggest emitters. In this episode, Dean sits down with Dylan Viviers from Holcim to unpack how low carbon concrete is reshaping the construction industry from the ground up. They dig into: What low-carbon concrete actually is (and how it performs on site) Busting the myths: strength, setting time, and cost Ho...