Kahika Tōtara

A third Passive House home has been certified at Bushland Park in Christchurch, delivered on time and under budget to very happy homeowners. This project has achieved Passive House Premium status. The experienced Passive House builders employ a deliberate strategy of working with the same suppliers and sub-trades as much as possible and building with prefab panels constructed in their …

Froggy Bottom

Another strawbale home has achieved Passive House certification, but this is not like the others. Froggy Bottom is a low maintenance, modern home and the only clue to the use of a very local and sustainable building material is the thickness of the external walls. The clients sought out the designer because they knew about the strawbale Passive House she …

Prefab builder scores 6 Homestar rating for affordable high-performance homes

Fast, cheap, good: pick two. Everyone in construction has heard that saying. But it’s challenged by the prefab building manufacturer Manor Build’s achievement of a volumetric 6 Homestar version 5 (v5) rating for three different home designs. A volumetric rating is a bit like pre-approval for a mortgage. Any home built to these designs, in any of the North Island …