25 June 2019 The Fern: Stay at Redfern’s new no-carbon luxury apartments

The main website might be a bit slow to load but the apartments are really incredible. These are all Passive House and are targeting certification. The awesome news is you can rent one (well if they are available) the next time you are in Sydney. http://www.thefern.com.au/fact “With its first guests checking-in over the Queens Birthday long weekend, The Fern serviced apartments are …

07 June 2019 Kowhai House certified PH winner in NZIA Southern Architecture awards

Great to see Rafe Maclean recognised for this clever certified Passive House which is also his home. Case study and more information on the home here. “This project shows a “difficult hillside site transformed by a simple yet compact layout and economical architecture”.” Content by Stuff. The awards in detail at Architecture Now.

30 May 2019 Scoop: Budget response: Green Building Council

“The Government’s existing home insulation programme and the new healthy homes standards have been warmly welcomed, but they’re not enough. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealand owner occupied homes will remain cold and damp because they will never be reached by these schemes.” “If all New Zealand homes were warm, dry, and energy efficient, New Zealanders would save hundreds of …

28 May 2019 Scoop: Survey finds Kiwis’ backyard dream still alive and well

It is interesting to me that the feature rated most essential is ‘Warm and dry’ which actually was higher rated than ‘Within budget’. A bit sad that folks buying homes have almost no tools to know if will actually be warm and dry. “The survey found most Kiwis prioritise safety and security over luxury features when it comes to choosing …

21 May 2019 Passive House kitchen extractor hood guide from PHI

For those of us designing Passive House we can all rejoice in the release of the official PHI guidance on kitchen extractor hoods and how to consider the heat losses in their use. To my knowledge there is reason to believe that a good recirculating hood can be better than a poorly performing extractor hood in removing fine particles. I’m …

13 May 2019 News Hub’s Zane Small: NZ 2019 Healthy Homes Standard Signed in law

Monday 13th May 2019 NZ Parliament signed into law the Healthy Homes Standard. This effectively requires bringing the ceiling and underfloor insulation up to current standards, install fixed heating in the living room and extractor fans in the kitchen/bath except where these upgrades are not practical.   Several good articles including:   Healthy Homes standards legislation signed off into law …