Of late Wanaka is a hotbed of Passive House activity. The presence of several experienced Passive House architects in Otago, plus suppliers and tradespeople committed to high-performance building, doubtless contributes. But so does the climate, which is one of the colder inhabited parts of the country. The Tombling house stands in Hawea Flat, where winter temperatures will drop to -5C …

This modern, compact home on a lifestyle block in the Bay of Plenty is delighting its European owners. After a dozen years in typical cold, damp New Zealand houses, it’s a welcome change to wake up to 18 degree temperatures throughout the house, without any heating. They also appreciate the lower humidity established by continuous mechanical ventilation. This project showcases …

The first Certified Passive House Plus in the Bay of Plenty is delighting its owner/builders with the quiet comfort it offers. They’re also delighted with their power bills, which have dropped from $160+/month to about $20. Heating demand and load performance are well below Passive House maximums and no energy for cooling is expected. Timber windows from Thermadura were chosen …

    Dunedin architect Rafe Maclean had previously designed Passive Houses for clients but this build was for his own family. Several family members suffer from asthma and a warm, dry, healthy living environment was a priority. The simplicity of the three bedroom, two-storey home’s form helped to reduce construction complexity while making the home more thermally efficient. Clever design …

Dunedin firm Architype designed and built this home for a couple relocating to Cambridge who wanted a comfortable, energy-efficient house that would meet their needs as they aged. The layout, structure, services and aesthetics of the building tightly work together to create a simple yet extremely high-performance building. The Browne residence was Architype’s first North Island Passive House project; its …

This home stands on a stunning site looking south-west over the dramatic coast line. The challenge the architects solved was to create a building open to those views while also sheltered from the ever-changing weather. A long elevation to the north-west serves to bring maximum sun, light and energy into the whole house. The house is built with timber studs, …

This is a two-storey modern residence in the middle of Christchurch that replaces the family’s home damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes. It was Christchurch’s first certified Passive House Plus home, generating power via a 7 kW solar photovoltaic array. The home stands on a waffle pod slab, a very thick and strong foundation that can be used where liquefaction risk …

This striking family home is the first South Island residence to be certified as Passive House Plus; it meets Passive House performance standards plus generates as much energy as it uses over a year. Proving there need not be a trade-off between function and form, its architects were highly commended in the 2018 ADNZ Architectural Design Awards. The house was …

The owners of this large, modern home were well-informed about high-performance homes and knew what they wanted: he was GM of Knauf Insulation and she worked for the Green Building Council! The house spans 245 m2 over two levels in a greenfields development south-east of Auckland and was completed in 2014. It boasts four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas, …