An experienced architecture/designer and construction team have produced another outstanding Passive House project in Dunedin. It’s a warm and comfortable home for Canadian immigrants who were predictably shocked at the low standards of typical New Zealand housing. The house looks as good as it performs, with references to mid-century design details and a stunning larch tongue-and-groove ceiling with exposed rafters. …
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 …
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 …
