Category: Society
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Build Aotearoa 19: Constructive
Thoughts from Constructive 2024 Early in the agenda at this year’s Constructive forum by the Registered Master Builders Association, a key theme emerged around the economy and cost of building. It got me thinking that a commonly posed question of “balancing sustainability with cost” might be fundamentally flawed. Environmental and economic sustainability should not be…
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Build Aotearoa: Quality and Quantity
One of the biggest local news stories this week was the news itself. I listened to Tova O’Brien’s take on the announcement of the proposed shutdown of NewHub and what it could mean for journalism in New Zealand. As someone familiar with the relatively close-knit journalism community in this country and as someone who went…
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Build Aotearoa: On Safe(ish) Ground
Last week, February 22nd rolled around. This was a significant date in the Cutler-Welsh household thirteen years ago when our house was located close to the Avon River in Christchurch. While it was a life-changing day for us, life has gone on. We ultimately lost our recently renovated home in Richmond as a result of…
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Build Aotearoa 2: Principles and Performance
In March 2023, Homestar trainer, Passive House Designer and Certified Passive House owner, Joseph Lyth published a comparison of Homestar v5, Passive House and MBIE’s proposed Building for Climate Change framework. It’s a useful summary of these main three standards. There are other standards and brands out there, but these are the most relevant for…
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Build Aotearoa
Kia ora whanau. As I draft this episode, there’s a chorus of cicadas outside my window. The sun is shining and there’s a faint breath of a breeze. It seems calm where I live, here in a relatively leafy part of Tāmaki Makaurau. But all is not calm everywhere in Aotearoa today, Waitangi Day 2024.…
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268: Common Ground
Zola Rose has a vision for regenerative housing as a solution for improving communities and sustainability. She brings diverse and international experience to Aotearoa New Zealand where she now calls Nelson her home. Real estate has long been used as an investment and a means of making a profit in New Zealand. Zola explains how…
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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.
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257 The Atlas of Comfort
Germán Molina trained as an engineer in Chile and has recently completed fascinating research posing the question ‘what is comfort?’ at Victoria University in Wellington. Having come from ‘the warm side’ of engineering, Germán has long had an interest in energy efficiency. He didn’t expect to be researching human behavior and social science.
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252: Let’s Change the Building Code
The Ministry of Innovation Building and Employment (MBIE) has released its consultation document for the 2021 proposed changes to the New Zealand Building Code. This represents a great opportunity to positively impact the future of building standards. But does it go far enough?
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236: Sustainability Leadership
Sheryl Owen embodies sustainability leadership. Her purpose is to create a sustainable environment where everyone can thrive. “The environment should not be a commodity available for a select few,” says Sheryl. “In order for us to elevate, we must be aware of our impact on the environment and marginalised communities”. In her numerous volunteer roles,…