Sustainable Building with Logs

Three years ago, John Donovan built a demonstration log house on his property in Waitakere, Auckland. The images in a recent newspaper article caught my attention, as did the mention of ‘eco’ and ‘efficient’. So I tracked John down to get his thoughts on sustainable building with logs. And we talked about pyramids…

Te Huia Log Homes

John is a well travelled, innovative Kiwi with a lot of respect for the natural environment. He wanted to create a home that embodied natural resources such as timber, so he went to the South Island and learnt how to build log cabins.

Log cabins are certainly great for using wood in a very natural state. They’re not everyone’s idea of a modern home though, plus it can be tricky to get all the logs to sit tightly together and avoid draughts. John adapted what he learnt, taking some cues from the peaks of the Waitakere Ranges and Te Huia Log Homes was born.

John originally built his Twin Peaks home and has recently added the pyramid shaped Eon. The distinctive white roof helps prevent overheating.
John originally built his Twin Peaks home and has recently added the pyramid shaped Eon. The distinctive white roof helps prevent overheating.
I'm impressed by the thickness of the walls (or is that the roof?), allowing for lots of insulation in the Eon.
I’m impressed by the thickness of the walls (or is that the roof?), allowing for lots of insulation in the Eon.
John is developing the Eon as a kit set to make it affordable as well as sustainable.
John is developing the Eon as a kit set to make it affordable as well as sustainable.

 Sustainable Building with Logs

Just like a log cabin, a pyramid may also not be everyone’s cup of tea as a home, but there are some elements to this design that I really like. They’re simple yet elegant, they’re certainly strong and resilient and they’re a great way to add value to a plentiful natural resource. John’s selective method of tree felling is certainly appealing and with capacity for good insulation in the thick walls, I think these could be quite a sustainable home.

If not as a primary house, I could definitely see an Eon or a Twin Peak making a very distinctive lodge, retreat or small function centre.

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Find out more about Te Huia

Check out a load more images on John’s website. He’s also been featured in EBOSS, as a case study for ACH Consulting Engineers plus various other articles.

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Comments

3 responses to “Sustainable Building with Logs”

  1. It’s definitely green and a carbon sink, but, I would like to keep the trees continuing the carbon sinking tasks. A small thing overlooked in Carbon Footprint calculations, at least till Climate Change is stabilised.

    1. mcutlerwelsh Avatar
      mcutlerwelsh

      Doesn’t using some timber wisely make space and create an industry to grow more trees though?

      1. Yes, the keyword is “wisely,” it is rare to comprehend when all we see is clear cut.

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