Category: Housing
-
211 Energy Architecture
Guy Shaw originally trained in Architecture in Wellington, New Zealand. But it was his experience working in the UK that introduced him to more sustainable design and lead him to become a Certified Passive House Designer.
-
196: Why aren’t more houses being built using SIPs?
Phil Nevell has a background in commerce and management. He came across NZSIP as a solution to providing warm and dry social housing. If structural insulated panels (SIPs) can be used in this way, why aren’t more people using them? Barriers to SIPS Phil suggests that engineers and specifiers might be a significant barrier to…
-
194: Ecokit – A DIY, Energy Efficient Home for Everyone
Ecokit, created by sisters Camilla and Pavla Novotna is a DIY prefabricated system of building energy efficient, healthy homes.
-
189: How to Build Your Own Tiny House
Natural. Passive. Tiny. This is what Ever Homes is all about. Founder and builder Everett Norris created Ever Homes to build Tiny Homes and to help people learn how to build their own Tiny House. The Dream of Home Ownership Everett Norris always wanted to build his own house. As a boy, he also assumed…
-
178: Cutting Edge Craftsmanship
In the early 1800s there was a rapid migration westward across the United States of America. Newer, faster ways of building were needed to house people in the booming towns of the “early west”. The craft of careful timber framed construction quickly gave way to mass production of stick frame housing. Tedd Benson refers to…
-
174: Housing, Not Just Houses
Karen Manson likes thinking about and designing housing, not just houses. With over 15 years of design experience, include 10 years overseas, Karen now has her own practice in Christchurch. She focuses on high performance houses, including Passive House. I had the opportunity to chat with Karen at the pro clima HUB about her journey.…
-
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…
-
Home Ownership is the Goal of KiwiBuild
When did home ownership become the holy grail? KiwiBuild is stepping up today, with Hon Phil Twyford’s announcement of the criteria for the Government’s ‘affordable’ housing programme at Buildnz | designex summit. There’s talk, and even some decent plans, for making space and resources available. Prefabrication is being suggested as a likely pathway for New…
-
167: Should I buy this house?
A building surveyor is trained to investigate potential issues and provide a prioritised list of maintenance for a building as part of pre-purchase inspection. When looking to buy a property, don’t take the real estate agent’s word for it. Find your own, reputable building surveyor to get an honest assessment of the building. You’ll still…
-
Eco Designer Advisor Conference 2017
—
by
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…