20191025_InternationalPassiveHouseAssociation_10TypesOfBuildingsThatAreCertifiedPassiveHouse

2019 October 25 IPHA: 10 Types Of Buildings That Are Certified Passive Houses

Cool list of 10 types of buildings that are certified passive houses that you might not consider as ‘houses’. Remember the standard is an energy performance and quality standard and...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
Image

2019 October 24 Stuff: DIY Rammed-Earth Passive House Involves Plenty Of Sacrifice

It’s great to see the progress Rochelle and Joel have made on their home. I grew up with a DIY-builder father, so I know how disruptive it can be to...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More

2019 October 21 Passive House Institute : Two New Zealand Window Manufacturers Win Certified Component Awards At The International Passive House Conference (China 2019)

I was happy to accept the TWO awards for Thermadura (Dunedin) and SEDA (Auckland) for their certified timber aluminium window systems. This is an incredibly competitive event and I was...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
  • Press
    /
Read More
Image

2019 October 18 ASHRAE: Drop It Low: 2019 LowDown Showdown Winning Design Increases Resiliency, Minimizes Environmental Impact

This is another example of the ongoing shift from an engineering focus on saving energy to saving carbon. In order to do this properly, system engineering needs to be emphasized...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
2019 October 16 The Fifth Estate: Passivhaus Social Housing Project Wins Stirling Prize For Architecture

2019 October 16 The Fifth Estate: Passivhaus Social Housing Project Wins Stirling Prize For Architecture

Great article by Australia writer David Thorp on a Passive House social housing project in the UK. Delightful, lovely, socially connected and award-winning Passive House homes. “Mikhail said that he...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
Image

2019 October 16 Stuff: ‘Heavy Burden’ Of Living In Mouldy And Damp Homes, Landlords Still Installing Insulation

“When the family bought their home, it was newly built. Over time, they saw mould on the ceiling and their roof began to leak, damaging their insulation. Their children began to...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More

2019 October 16: News just in from China

Jason Quinn reported back from the 23rd International Passive House Conference: “Technical PH people used to talk about saving energy—but at the conference, I kept hearing about saving carbon. That’s...

Updated: Oct 2019

  • Current Events
    /
Read More
Image

2019 October 15 The Fifth Estate: Passive House Celebrated at Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards

“Passive House certified accommodation for Monash University students has taken out the Built Environment category at this year’s Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards held in Melbourne last week.” I expect that...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
2019 October 7 Stuff: Regulation Needed To Push Owners To Reduce Fossil Fuels In Buildings, Expert Says

2019 October 5 Stuff: Regulation Needed To Push Owners To Reduce Fossil Fuels In Buildings, Expert Says

“Government regulation will be needed to achieve net-zero carbon buildings says architectural engineering professor Larry Bellamy.” Let’s hope those regulations are good ones that take building physics into account and...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
Image

2019 October 1 Build: How Airtight Do Houses Need To Be

This article doesn’t really come to a conclusion other than the old rule of thumb of divide the blower door ACHn50 by 20 to determine the average infiltration is not...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More

2019 September 27 AU Codes to Zero Carbon

Built to Perform: An Industry Led Pathway to a Zero Carbon Ready Building Code 3 July 2018 Improved energy performance of buildings presents a win-win-win opportunity, reducing stress on the...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More
Image

2019 September 26 New Zealand Legislation: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019

A certain friend of mine from Canada pointed out to me late last week that the only exemption for requiring a fixed heater in the main living room-sized per the...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • Press
    /
Read More
2019 September 24 Newsroom: Builders Release Ambitious Zero Carbon Roadmap

2019 September 24 Newsroom: Builders Release Ambitious Zero Carbon Roadmap

Several parties in the NZ high-performance building sector have been working on big meaningful changes to the way we build and all of us agree the winning combination is to...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
2019 September 23 Scoop: Healthy Homes Initiative Evaluation Positive

2019 September 23 Scoop: Healthy Homes Initiative Evaluation Positive

This is a significant reduction in trips to the hospital for children. I wish we had an easy way to price this into building standards and made our buildings better...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
2019 September 23 The Developer: It should be a no-brainer, so why aren’t we building more Passivhaus?

2019 September 23 The Developer: It should be a no-brainer, so why aren’t we building more Passivhaus?

“Most developers will choose to build to minimum standards,” says Palmer. Architect Justin Bere, a Passivhaus specialist who has written a book on the subject, echoes this. “It’s very difficult...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • Press
    /
Read More
2019 September 20 ATTMA: Registered Air Tightness Testers - New Zealand

2019 September 20 ATTMA: Registered Air Tightness Testers – New Zealand

List of all the current air leakage testers in New Zealand accredited with ATTMA. Air leakage testing very tight buildings (as they all should be build tight and ventilate right...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • Press
    /
  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More
2019 September 20 Stuff: Former Stable Master's Cottage Rebuilt As Certified Passive House

2019 September 20 Stuff: Former Stable Master’s Cottage Rebuilt (and targeting) Certified Passive House

The owner of Mona Vale’s former Stable Master’s Cottage got carried away when he visited Christchurch four years ago – he fell in love with an “as is, where is”...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More
20190913_QueenstownLakesDistrict_DesignTeamAppointedForDistrict'sFirstPassiveHouseStandardCommunityBuilding

2019 September 18 Queenstown Lakes District: Design Team Appointed For District’s First Passive House-Standard Community Building

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) endorsed an ultra-low energy ‘Passive House’ concept for the new hall late last year. Since then, Council officers have been working to turn this aspiration...

Updated: Aug 2020

  • Current Events
    /
  • General Notes
    /
Read More