News & Articles

Last year, a builder in the South Island called up Jason Quinn, Sustainable Engineering’s founding director, and asked to interview him. Much later, a story showed up on Achipro. It...

A builder’s perspective on warm, dry, energy-efficient homes

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Jan 2021

The first time you do something, it takes longer. If you’re paying staff to do it, it costs more again. If you import just one new building component and you...

Social housing can be very good and not cost more (it’s proven)

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Dec 2020

This great profile of Sustainable Engineering’s founding director delivers a nice intro to Passive House—while also telling the story of how a campervan trip around New Zealand saw a NASA...

It’s not rocket science: actually it’s harder

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Nov 2020

I’ve heard (unofficial) news out of Wellington suggesting the new government is serious about a ‘wood first’ procurement policy for government buildings. Stand by for an official announcement. It can...

New government serious about ‘wood first’

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

If you missed this in-depth Stuff article, it’s worth reviewing: Infometrics senior economist Brad Olsen used the latest census data to find where in New Zealand, on average, has the...

Wellington worst place for damp, mouldy housing

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Nov 2020

Advances Toward a Net-Zero Global Building Sector is a BIG tech paper, happily published with open access so people outside of academic institutions can actually read it. See below for...

Toward net-zero building: put this paper on your reading list

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

Rochelle Ade’s doctoral research findings have had quite a bit of media attention in recent weeks. Not surprising, given her claim that Homestar ratings aren’t delivering what they claim (and...

Small improvements are not enough

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Nov 2020

If you haven’t yet downloaded and read the excellent book produced by APHA, Passivhaus in Australia, I highly recommend it. Although New Zealand had a head start over Australia on...

Passivhaus In Australia book now available

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jun 2026

Fire rating of the building/windows is not something we usually need to worry about in new, detached single-family homes, as the clearance to the property boundaries is sufficient. But during...

Retrofit alert: know when fire-rated components are called for

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Oct 2020

We go to great lengths to maintain the certified level of MVHR efficiency in the high-performance building projects we consult on. We recommend or specify cross-counter flow heat exchangers with...

Local MVHR only 40% efficient, says BRANZ test

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Oct 2020

If Leaky Buildings 1.0 was about rain getting in where it shouldn’t, then Leaky Buildings 2.0 is all about the build-up of condensation, such that it feels like it’s raining...

Interior condensation should be expelled from school

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Oct 2020

Holy sh*t. Talk about a big shift in perspective. Let’s repeat that: “BRANZ now recommends that residential buildings are mechanically ventilated and are built to an airtightness target.” This comes...

BRANZ sees the light on mechanical ventilation

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Oct 2020

SIP manufacturer Formance has released a technical bulletin for designers focused on how to specify or calculate Formance panel performance for certified Passive House projects. The bulletin is based on...

Technical guidance for Formance SIP in Passive House projects

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Oct 2020

Great to see Tim Ross of Architype guiding James Shaw around the building site of the Dunedin co-housing project. When this project is completed next year, it will (if it...

Green co-leader backs Passive House and co-housing

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Oct 2020

Tech Tips with Toby Variants is a handy tool when using PHPP to model multiple design options within the one PHPP file. Suppose you’re trying different window frames, glazing or...

Understanding DataTables and Variants

by Toby Brooke

Updated: Sep 2020

Christchurch City Council’s urban design team has turned in a report that looked at 46 housing developments built since new rules were introduced in 2016 to allow for greater housing...

Focus on performance not just appearance in the Christchurch rebuild

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Sep 2020

Don’t already know about this? You’ve got some fun and learning to catch up on. This weekly gig is in its sixth month now, bringing Passive House experts together from...

Passive House happy hour: Fast, factual, fun

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Sep 2020