Author: Matthew Cutler-Welsh
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267 Architecturally Designed Modular Homes Built in New Zealand
Mariano Croce is an Argentine entrepreneur who relocated into Queenstown with his young family just before the first COVID lockdown in 2020. He has a background in prefabrication, having co-founded a modular building company in Argentina when he was 24. More than 15 years on, Mariano has created Modulo.nz to provide architecturally designed, high-performance, modular…
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266: It’s Time to Speckel!
Darren O’Dea is a self-confessed building physics nerd. Along with co-founder David Carroll, he has helped to create Speckel, a platform for designing low carbon, healthier, durable and energy-efficient buildings. Having proven popular with architects and consultants in Australia, Speckel is now available in New Zealand. Find out more at https://www.speckel.io/ Upcoming webinar Find out…
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265: A New Network of Smart Healthy and Green Living Content
Sabine Schoenberg is co-founder of the Smart Healthy Green Living network, a collection of videos and streamed content on everything from tiny homes and carpentry to interior design and gardening. Through her network, Sabine is promoting the ‘Do One Thing‘ campaign to help everyone take a step towards living a more sustainable life. Sustainability, says…
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264: How to Control Air
In this third session with Simon Cator from Pro Clima we cover the reasons for and the application of an airtightness system. As I’ve discussed previously, airtightness is a good thing. This is independent of ventilation, which is also a good thing. The opposite of an airtight building is a leaky one and sometimes this…
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263: Building with Hemp
Hemp is an extremely versatile material. It may have a complicated recent history due to medicinal and other uses, but the benefits of industrial hemp have been known for a long time. Jo Say, co-founder of the Hemp Building Association New Zealand explains why it’s a great time to start rediscovering some of the many…
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262: Weathertight is Better Than Waterproof
Unless you live in a submarine your home is likely not waterproof. And that’s ok, as long as the majority of it is weathertight. To make something completely waterproof requires all sorts of seals and intricate design, often with second and third lines of defense against the pressure of water. Think sports watch or a…
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261: Casey Curtis
“You could be an architect one day,” was a comment made by an school teacher that has influenced the life of Casey Curtis. Out of necessity, Casey joined a group home builder after completing her deisgn degree in Christchurch. It was 2010 and she felt fortunate to have a job at the time as the…
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260: The Mold Medic
Michael Rubino studied marketing and business at college, but ended up back home working for his family business. Michael’s father was involved with a lot of fire restoration work, some of which came from insurance claims to do with the damage caused by all the water used to fight fires. He saw first hand, the…
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259: Building Better Homes
Simon Cator is passionate about helping people to build better homes. Prior to becoming Regional Sales Manager for the Upper North Island at Pro Clima NZ, he worked for New Zealand’s online architectural products library – EBOSS and HRV before that. In this introductory episode, I spoke with Simon about the diversity of his role…
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258 Matariki and Architecture
Matariki is a festival that makes sense for New Zealand. It feels good to respect and learn from the wisdom of those who have inhabited this place for generations. It may have taken us 200 years, but we’re creating our own vernacular; our own geographically appropriate culture of design.