It’s confirmed: New Zealand’s first non-residential building has won PHI-certification. Hutt City Council’s facilities building at Silverstream landfill is a Low Energy Building. The climate (30km north of Wellington) doesn’t present undue difficulties but the small building does face some intrinsic challenges. Its footprint is a simple shape, but the form factor sits at a very high 4.1 due to …

This striking home is perched on a steep lifestyle block above the Kapiti Coast, designed to take in expansive views to the west. On the clear day the ocean views stretch from the South Island to Mt Taranaki. The clients specified Passive House in their brief to their architect. The house’s excellent performance despite less than optimal solar access illustrates …

New Zealand’s newest certified Passive House is the first in Hawkes Bay and it’s doing a great job of promoting high-performance building to homeowners in the region. This handsome three bedroom, two bathroom home plus office was designed by Vlada Acimovic and completed a year ago by eHaus licensee Welch Builders & Construction Ltd. It initially served capably as a …

Building this stunning home presented several challenges, overcome by an experienced Passive House builder who understood what he was working with. As with many projects in Christchurch, ground conditions were difficult and increased costs. Liquefaction risk was not the issue here, rather very rocky conditions and a “big nasty rock” right in the middle of the site. Part of the …

The St Leonards Passive House overcomes the challenges of a difficult site to provide a comfortable and beautiful home for a young family. The house perches on a steep slope overshadowed by hills to the north and west. Its spectacular views of Dunedin harbour lie to the east and south.   Achieving Passive House performance despite these physical constraints highlights …

This story starts with an Auckland family who fell in love with a piece of land in Te Miro, in the Hamilton hinterland. They wanted a warm and comfortable house that would shelter not just their growing family but a third generation too. This 322 m2 building is actually two homes under a single roof. The wife’s father has a …

This two-storey residence in Hawea Flats is an intriguing mixture of modernity and tradition, with an impressive list of accomplishments. It’s New Zealand’s first Certified Passive House Premium building (and only the second in Australasia and 15th world-wide); and it’s the first oak-framed Passive House built in this country. It was designed by one of the country’s most experienced and …

New Zealand’s latest Certified Passive House is a house notable for its environmental credentials as well as its sensory appeal. Wanaka architectural designer Jessica Eyers of Hiberna designed this three-bedroom straw bale house and her husband Ben Eyers built it. Hiberna’s ethos is all about combining natural, low-tech, local materials with high-tech scientific design and construction principles. They favour materials …

This bespoke Christchurch home is a happy conclusion to another earthquake horror story that involved years of delay in rebuilding. Professional project manager Paul Finch played a key role in getting this project moving again after the first builder went into liquidation. He worked alongside builder Glenn Harley and his team, who are experienced in Passive House construction. The result …