Idealings Architecture is based in Fremantle, Western Australia and serves Perth and the Southwest of the state. Run by Timo and Najwa Bleeker, the aim of Idealings is to help future homeowners and organisations to create healthy, comfortable, energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

After studying Japanese and international business, Daniel Gudsell's plan was to go to Japan and sell New Zealand produced milk, but he ended up selling wood in the South Pacific, an enterprise that led to the creation of Abode Wood.

Murray Robertson took a liking to technical drawing during intermediate school, which he carried on through college. After considering both industrial design and landscape design, he eventually settled on Architecture. He 'did his time' at a few practices and then found himself at McLaren Associates in Edinburgh where he was introduced to the environmental rating processes of BREEAM. Back in New Zealand, Murray spent over a decade at Stephenson & Turner before starting his own practice, Robertson Architecture Design in 2016.

In 2019 Anne Salmond was made a Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, a high honour available to a maximum of only ten people at any one time. As a trailblazer throughout her career, Anne is a worthy recipient of this title. At one time Anne was told that she was running the largest architecture firm in the country that was directed by women. In our interview, Anne and I discuss her growing interest in sustainable architecture, passive solar and Passive House, Living Building Challenge and some of the exciting projects she's currently working on.

Simon Wansbrough is the Founder and Director of Third Little Pig, a custom home builder based in Christchurch. We discuss how Simon got into building in the first place, what building better homes means to him, and how he's been able to become more selective about the projects he takes on.

Before Reece Beresford trained as a builder and started his own company, he did some time working on oil rigs. Now he's aspiring to build Certified Passive House for clients in Perth, Western Australia.

Viktoria Nikitina is Managing Director of Blue Sky Windows, a manufacturer of high quality, high performance uPVC windows based in Melbourne, Victoria.

With so many locally manufactured options now available, there are plenty of reasons why you should consider windows and doors like these for your next project.

Simon Cator of Pro Clima New Zealand recently caught up with Kirstie Brown at a sustainable house that Kirstie has built using ECO-Block Insulation Concrete Forms (ICF) in Tauranga.

Simon finds out about the advantages of using ECO-Blocks and how an airtight construction is already contributing to great performance.

This episode and accompanying article originally appeared on Eboss, https://www.eboss.co.nz/ebossnow/pro-clima-intelligent-air-barrier-tauranga-sustainable-home

Browsing the photo gallery on Jeff Bogard's R.E.A Homes website, 'sustainability' is not likely the first word that comes to mind. Can large, luxury houses actually be sustainable? This is one of the topics I discussed with Jeff who's been providing high performance homes for discerning clients in Saint Louis for over fourteen years.

I'm always interested in the perceptions of architects and builders who have been trained or have experienced living in Europe and then come to the Southern Hemisphere. Their reaction to typical houses in New Zealand and Australia usually involves a level of disbelief. A common sentiment is that they've never been colder, despite this being a milder climate.