I’m always interested in the perceptions of architects and builders who have been trained or have experienced living in Europe and then come to the Southern Hemisphere. Their reaction to typical houses in New Zealand and Australia usually involves a level of disbelief. A common sentiment is that they’ve never been colder, despite this being a milder climate.

Izabela Katafoni grew up and trained as an architect in Poland. She also worked for a number of years in Ireland, where Passive House has been widely adopted. In 2010 she started working for an architectural firm in Perth, Australia and four years later launched her own practice, Studio Origami with fellow Architect Javi Ayora.

In our chat, we discuss why the basics of building science like thermal bridging are taught in Europe, but are hardly known about in Australia and New Zealand.

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“It was normal that we avoided thermal bridges” says

Where she works now, people find double glazing strange.

The Missing Middle

There’s a gap between high density urban living, and big houses out in the suburbs.

Comfortable, healthy spaces for all parts of the community.

“It’s not only the price to buy the house, it’s also the lifestyle that you’ll have… it’s how much it will cost you to run [the] house to be comfortable”

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