Case Studies

Here’s another significant Passive House milestone met: New Zealand’s first certified community housing project. Dunedin City Council (DCC) shares the glory with the experienced Passive House design team at Architype. This project owes a lot to the Toiora High Street co-housing development for which Architype provided architectural services. Firstly, DCC was deeply involved during that project’s long gestation period and …

Dunedin’s student housing is notoriously bad, even worse than its winters. However, a new Passive House certified apartment block smack in the middle of the student housing precinct is a stark contrast. This project was built by a private developer who was persuaded to build to a higher standard by a compelling business case. The developer has built other student …

The Watterson residence is already famous, being that Passive House build in Featherston that featured on Grand Designs in November 2022. The home is an outstanding example of meticulous planning and through project management, easily hitting all Passive House metrics with plenty of margin. It also notably proved that this level of performance is possible on an average budget—and without …

This compact Dunedin home on a tricky site is notable for being a build-to-rent project. The owner is a local investor steadily growing his rental property portfolio. This was his first high-performance build but like a growing number of Architype clients, he arrived having already educated himself about the benefits of building to the Passive House standard. The project benefited …

Whakatū Passivhaus deserves close investigation. It’s the first for its builder and architect/Passive House designer and the first to be certified in Nelson City (the nearby Orr Residence is located in the adjoining Tasman District.) There’s a lot more going on here than the simple form suggests. Passive House performance is the gold standard for operational carbon efficiency. This project …

Determined clients, an experienced Passive House designer and a builder with an eye for detail: that was the magic combination responsible for this appealing home-for-life in Carterton. There were some tough challenges along the way, including false starts, bankrupt suppliers and Covid-19.  Despite everything the owners held fast to what they wanted: a warm, healthy, quality home sized just right …

   House Profile

Wanaka is one of New Zealand’s most challenging climates: very hot summers, very cold winters and with harsh UV light. This project’s brick cladding was an inspired choice that serves multiple functions. The house has an entirely modern aesthetic but the construction technique of brick on a concrete ring foundation and a suspended timber floor would be instantly familiar to …