This rural home outside of Whanganui is a complex blend of traditional building and hi-tech performance, proof of the adage that Passive House is agnostic with regard to materials. It was inspired by and builds on the success of Hiberna, the first strawbale Passive House building in New Zealand and seemingly the first in the world to rely on natural …

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A clear vision and a great team produced a beautiful Low Energy Building (LEB) home in one of New Zealand’s most challenging climates. The Heights Whare superbly illustrates that it’s possible to achieve a high-performance build on a modest budget. This home is notably small, just 86m2. That’s the perfect size for its owners, who returned after five years comfortably …

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This stunning family home on Auckland’s west coast had a point to prove to those who criticise the Passive House performance standard for “requiring square boxes”. Passive House can be anything within reason, says the owner and designer Nick Gaites. “I understand why engineers would design a rectangle, I don’t know why architects do it. I wanted a home that …

   House Profile Header Photo By Breen Construction

    House Profile

   House Profile

This project is the first government-owned social housing in Australasia to earn Passive House certification. Its success is down to the vision and determination of some key individuals, chief among them the project manager at Kainga Ora and those who supported her bold bid to radically improve the performance of these apartments.  Bader Ventura is well ahead of Kainga Ora’s …