Historical insulation levels in NZ

Against the backdrop of all the recent noise about increasing Building Code minimum R-values, let’s look back at how the minimum standard (or typical values) have changed over time. This...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Optimal indoor CO2 levels: is 1000ppm too high?

We need to talk about ventilation. Urgently. Specifically, policy-makers and industry need to arrive at an agreed definition of sufficiently ventilated when it comes to the indoor spaces where New...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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Live counter of NZ’s Passive House projects

We’re very frequently asked, ‘How many Passive Houses are there in New Zealand?’ Well, as of 1625 hours, 11 July 2022, there are: That number is changing rather quickly now...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Sweden is on track

Did you know there is a country that has adopted Passive House performance levels in timber framed buildings, sorted the MVHR issues and has quite innovative framing practices we should...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Local design and manufacture focused on zero energy building

FMI is a family-owned designer and manufacturer of building components including joinery, glass, facades and cladding, marketed under brands like Eurowood, Nextra, Vetro Raccordi and Fairview. The Sustainable Engineering team...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Better health is first result of H1 improvements

I appreciate the work Germán Molina is doing to get his PhD findings out into the world. I’ve linked to work he’s publishing on his blog, Buildings for People, before....

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jun 2022

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LEB projects in Christchurch, explained

It’s one thing to build bespoke higher-performing homes under contract for a client. It is quite another measure of risk to build spec homes that out-perform the Building Code minimums....

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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A LEB is not a PH

It’s not correct to say a Low Energy Building (LEB) is a Passive House. Yes, it is a PHI standard. But to claim it is a Passive House, as a...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jun 2022

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MBIE response (and ours) to NZ Emissions Reduction Plan

MBIE has summarised its take on the New Zealand Emissions Reduction Plan. Building for Climate Change (BfCC) will be its tool to make this happen through legislation. We will finally...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: May 2022

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First emissions reduction plan heading in right direction on buildings

The long-awaited first Emissions Reduction Plan was published yesterday and media commentators are rushing to dissect it. I liked that the foreword describes the problem as also an opportunity: “a...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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Great developments in NZ social housing

Kāinga Ora’s priorities for New Zealand social housing were laid out in a recent detailed article in Architecture Now, which is worth reading in full. It charts the agency’s journey...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Four tools for scaling up Passive House adoption: international review

This in-depth international review, The Keys to Successful Passive House Implementation, aimed to identify how to successfully implement Passive House construction at scale. The research was commissioned by the California...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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How to decarbonise NZ schools

Clear, specific and timely actions to reduce schools’ operational and embodied carbon footprint are contained in a recent Ministry of Education (MoE) report, . The recommendations are excellent and they...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: May 2022

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QuickSet all set for updated H1 requirements

Here’s a great summary from QuickSet outlining its practical formwork/insulation solutions that fit with the increased H1 requirements. This includes heated slabs. We’re proud to have helped with these developments,...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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Scaling up PH trades training

New Zealand needs more tradespeople, full stop. But we also need tradies with skills and experience of building the Passive House way, especially as larger certified projects get underway.  In...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Stärke makes recessed window install clear

It’s great to see the data from our work on the High-Performance Construction Details Handbook being used to improve the industry. Starke is a window fabricator that has got on...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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Haiku sums up warmer home benefits

Who the hell composes a haiku as the summary in a technical report to a government agency? A New Zealander, that’s who. I love this country. People’s ability to care...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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Elements of building industry lobbying to delay H1 changes

Like I’ve said before, if we want to change, we actually will need to change. Seems simple enough, right? But many in the “pro-cold-home” contingent of our building sector don’t...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

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