Category: Health
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177 Could Homestar be the PR Boost that Sustainable Building Needs?
In episode 145 I spoke with Dennis Dowling of DCD (Dowling Construction & Development). In episode 177, I talk with Annabelle Numaguchi who has a PR and marketing background and is now part of the DCD team. Annabelle has assessed a spectrum of homes, from 6-9 Homestar, thus far. Why did Annabelle become a Homestar…
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175: The Headwaters Living Building Challenge
The Headwaters Living Building Challenge The Headwaters in Glenorchy, just 45 minutes drive from Queenstown is a magical place and now home to another Living Building Challenge project. I caught up with lead consultant Tricia Love recently to discuss how she got involved and what The Headwaters is all about. Tricia Love After working on…
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173: Using WUFI® to Keep Buildings Dry and Healthy
Jesse Clarke is concerned with how to keep buildings dry so that they remain healthy, durable and energy efficient. Jesse is the Building Science Manager for Pro Clima Australia and Pro Clima NZ. He’s also an experienced advocate of WUFI® software. If you don’t put the building products together properly, then you don’t manage the…
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172: The Lotus Eco Village – How to Create Affordable Healthy Houses
In 1971, Eric Doornekamp led a group of yoga enthusiasts to establish the Lotus Yoga Centre and Retreat in Aro Street, Wellington. Almost half a century on, the Lotus Yoga Centre Charitable Trust is branching out and developing an Eco-Village. The Lotus Eco Village will be built in Paraparaumu, on a 3 hectare site purchased by…
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171: The Baillie Eco-Home
Russell Baillie describes his Baillie Eco-Home as a modern, contemporary house that’s also green under the skin. It’s a two storey, four/five bedroom home in Mt Eden which was completed in 2016. The house is a showcase of efficiency, sustainability and universal design. Russell has publicly shared his design and build journey on the Baillie Eco-Home…
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Residential Tenancies. It’s Time to Act.
It’s time for us all to have a say in helping to make better rental places to live, by commenting on proposed changes the the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. I’m used to criticising government housing policies. I often state my case that our building code is woefully inadequate, I berate the state of our existing housing…
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Why I need a Ventilation System
I woke up at 3:00 am this morning and was vaguely aware that something wasn’t right. It wasn’t an emergency, but something was off. I was warm, but it felt stuffy and I suspected my lack of ventilation was causing me problems again. Breathing without Ventilation At 3:00, in a drowsy stupor, I was aware…
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How to Reduce Mould in the Home
Mould Mould comes from fungi naturally occurring in the air. Fungi can be our friends. It includes mushrooms and the yeasts we use for making bread. But mould in our homes makes us sick. Just like activating yeast, fungi needs a food source and moisture to grow. This a clue as to how we can…
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Health and Safety at Home
Most people think that occupational health and safety is a bit over-the-top in the workplace, with so many rules, policies and procedures, yet most homes go the other way and are very unsafe. Last year, over 45% of the total ACC claims were for injuries and accidents at home, costing New Zealand a staggering $950m. There…
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Eco Designer Advisor Conference 2017
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in Blog, Design, Draughts, Health, Heating, Housing, Industry, Insulation, Prefab, Renovating, Society, Sustainability, VentilationPrefabrication, high performance homes, indoor air quality, Homestar, sustainable concrete and airtightness are just some of the topics presented at this year’s Eco Design Advisor (EDA) Conference in Wellington, May 1st – 2nd. Some fortuitous free time allowed me to attend this small conference once again. And once again, I was impressed. Eco Design Advisors…