Category: Housing
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Home is Where the Heart is
Home is where the heart is. It’s also where our lungs are, where our eyes and ears are, where our whole bodies, and where our minds are. The home is where we are, for 70-90% of the time. Think about that. The average person spends about three quarters of their day, in their house. The…
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Affordable Housing Policy
I just listened to a podcast recording of a very interesting interview; Kathryn Ryan from Nine to Noon speaking with David Preston, a consulting economist about public policy and affordable housing. David is also the author of one of the chapters in the new book Homes People Can Afford. Check out my interview (Home Style…
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Homes People Can Afford
We are not building enough homes people can afford. This was the focus of a workshop organised by He Kainga Oranga – The Housing and Health Research Programme, from the University of Otago in mid 2012. Since then, Sarah Bierre, Professsor Philippa Howden-Chapman and Lisa Early have been busy compiling written contributions from a number of…
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ZETA Design + Build Modular Homes
ZETA Design + Build produce modular homes and buildings inside a factory. A great video on their website is probably the best way to see just how they’re revolutionising the manufacturing process of buildings and building modules. Howard Koenig, Chief Executive Officer ZETA Design + Build It’s telling that Howard Koenig, CEO of ZETA Design…
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Buildnz Designex
I’m just back from three days at Buildnz Designex, working on the Homestar stand and I’m fairly exhausted after talking to so many interesting designers, architects, builders and loads of product suppliers. Trade shows and expos can be a gamble. They’re expensive to attend as an exhibitor, they take time out of ‘productive work’ and…
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The Stretch and Grow House
Phil McLean is a secondary school teacher who’s passionate about design. He was given the opportunity to take six months immersing himself in a new topic, in part to experience being a beginner learner again, to empathise with his students. His chosen new field was building and the result is his open source design of…
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Prefab Houses with Pamela Bell
Prefab houses have so much to offer. So why are we not doing more of it here in New Zealand, right now? This week, I spoke with CEO of PrefabNZ, Pamela Bell to discuss this very issue. The Name Prefab For many New Zealanders, the reason why there’s resistance to prefab is in the name. More…
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House Planning Help
I first came across Ben’s show when I was browsing for quality podcasts about sustainability and buildings. I’ve been surprised with the relative few results from variations of this search in iTunes and was grateful to stumble across House Planning Help. In particular I first found Ben’s slightly different episode all about content marketing in…
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Is Christchurch in the process of making a big mistake?
Is Christchurch in the process of making a big mistake? Surely not intentionally. But the front page of the Press last Friday did look a lot like urban sprawl. Is there another way to describe 40,000 homes being built outside the current city boundary? This is the vision of the Land Use Recovery Plan. Affectionately known…
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Being a Green Architect
What does it mean to be a ‘green architect’? Sian Taylor trained to be an architect in Cardiff, Wales. When she arrived here in New Zealand, like many others who have experienced homes in colder climates, Sian was pretty appalled at the state of New Zealand houses. Since then Sian has gained experience working in…