2019 October 28: We Need The Building Code Fixed

2019 October 28: We Need The Building Code Fixed

In my opinion, the energy provisions in H1 are not fit for purpose. As Kylie Mills writes, “To make buildings better … the quickest way is for regulations to change.”...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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2019 October 1 Build: Energy Poverty In New Zealand

Paying utility bills is a stretch for many New Zealand households. As we move to a low-carbon economy, a raft of measures may be necessary to ensure that energy costs...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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2019 September 30 Passive Houses on Energy Efficiency

80-90% heating energy reduction (well for those that could afford to heat their homes) saves energy, CO2 and costs less over the lifespan of the building than building to the...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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”...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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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...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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2019 September 9 Building Green: People Want a Greener Future but Don’t Know How to Get There

“Perhaps most disappointing for building professionals were responses about the impact of green building on the environment, people, and communities. “Only 11% of respondents associate words like ‘green building’ and...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2020

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29 August 2019 NZ Herald’s Anne Gibson: Why a Henderson mother won $13k from her landlords: 22 separate issues at rental property

“A house with leaking and damaged gutters, rotting window frames, illegal stairs, a sagging and mouldy ceiling, rotting weatherboards, a rotten toilet floor and exposed electrical board have earned a...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Sep 2019

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27 August 2019 The Fifth Estate’s Poppy Johnston: NSW gets its first Certified Passive House homes

Congratulations to Joe Mercieca of Blue Eco Homes for Sapphire Passive House in the Blue Mountains and Andy Marlow of Envirotecture for the Thornleigh house. The article states that “The...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2019

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