Whakatū Passivhaus

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 …

The White Home

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 …

Brick House

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 …

PIHA EnerPHit

This is New Zealand’s first enerPHit project to be certified. This astonishingly ambitious retrofit stripped a large, luxury house built in 2008 back to its shell and rebuilt it to achieve certifiable performance. The result is a testament to the owner’s commitment and the skilled team of professionals that brought the project to fruition over a three year period. There …

8 Bushland Place

8 and 10 Bushland Place are the first two homes to be completed in an entire subdivision targeting Passive House Plus certification. This is an ambitious undertaking with the heavy lifting being done by experienced Passive House builders at Ethos Homes. Peter Bielski of Ethos was approached by landowner Ernst Frei on the basis of his team’s reputation and track …