We need to talk about ventilation. Urgently. Specifically, policy-makers and industry need to arrive at an agreed definition of sufficiently ventilated when it comes to the indoor spaces where New Zealanders live, work, learn, play and train. CO2 levels are a useful measure of indoor air quality. ASHRAE’s* journal just published a summary article by Stumm et al, which takes …
Live counter of NZ’s Passive House projects
We’re very frequently asked, ‘How many Passive Houses are there in New Zealand?’ Well, as of 1625 hours, 11 July 2022, there are: That number is changing rather quickly now and it’s hard even for us to keep up. So, predictably, we designed a little techie fix: now there’s a live counter you can refer to 24/7. It breaks down …
Sweden is on track
Did you know there is a country that has adopted Passive House performance levels in timber framed buildings, sorted the MVHR issues and has quite innovative framing practices we should examine? Check out Swedish platform framing: there is lots for us all to learn. US architect Gregory La Vardera has this to say (emphasis mine): “Balloon Framing revolutionized house building …
Local design and manufacture focused on zero energy building
FMI is a family-owned designer and manufacturer of building components including joinery, glass, facades and cladding, marketed under brands like Eurowood, Nextra, Vetro Raccordi and Fairview. The Sustainable Engineering team has been consulting on FMI’s Zero Energy House project. It is a different approach to solving New Zealand’s problems with both housing quantity and quality. Instead of bespoke houses built …
First emissions reduction plan heading in right direction on buildings
The long-awaited first Emissions Reduction Plan was published yesterday and media commentators are rushing to dissect it. I liked that the foreword describes the problem as also an opportunity: “a challenge present[ing] the single greatest opportunity we’ve had in at least a generation … It means warmer homes and lower household power bills.” I have three initial observations, specifically on …
QuickSet all set for updated H1 requirements
Here’s a great summary from QuickSet outlining its practical formwork/insulation solutions that fit with the increased H1 requirements. This includes heated slabs. We’re proud to have helped with these developments, including the thermal modeling for their slab systems. The new QuickSet Ultra with base insulation makes this building scientist happy! Also worth noting: the QuickSet standard taper has also improved. …
Stärke makes recessed window install clear
It’s great to see the data from our work on the High-Performance Construction Details Handbook being used to improve the industry. Starke is a window fabricator that has got on board with producing better-performing windows and doors. Its blog post is very clear and concise on the issues, fixes and benefits of recessed window installs.
BRANZ edition of HPCD out now
It’s great to finally pin a bow on this project and call it done. The final version of the HPCD (the High Performance Construction Details Handbook) has now been fully reviewed and accepted by BRANZ and published as External Research Report ER70 [2022]. It’s been a long journey—it began before we’d even heard of Covid-19. There were over 6300 downloads of …
Be a certification pro
Passive House certification offers many benefits and the cost is tiny relative to the whole budget for a new home. As a Passive House designer, you can make the process faster, easier and contain costs for your client by being well-organised and diligent when it comes to the details required for certification. I’ve prepared a guide for documentation for new …