Sun, 15 March 2020
Jo Woods and Shay Brazier have been saving money on power since they moved into their Zero Energy House. At the same time, their home has been drier, healthier and warmer in winter than most New Zealand houses. Now Shay is continuing to help others achieve similar savings and benefits by looking into the feasibility of solar and energy efficiency technologies for building products via his new company Revolve Energy. |
Fri, 24 June 2016
I love it when I find new companies that are looking at the design and building process a bit differently and who want to provide healthy, energy efficient homes. That's what Nook is all about. I caught up with their designer, Warren Clarke recently and asked him why he does what he does. http://nook.nz |
Tue, 26 April 2016
I originally contacted Hitesh Mehta to talk about sustainable landscape architecture, but he offers a lot more than that. Hitesh has travelled the world advising and helping designers of ecolodges. He enjoys all aspects of architecture as well as photography, environmental planning and writing. To find out more about his recent work, visit Hitesh Mehta Design. http://homestylegreen.com/157
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Tue, 3 March 2015
Net zero homes, tiny Houses, 'Cargotecture', pocket neighbourhoods and straw bale homes. Matthew Swett likes to experiment with design. He's also an incredibly thoughtful and award winning architect. Matthew Swett co-founded Taproot Architects, LLC in 2001 with his wife and business partner Sarah Birger. Together they operate an integrated architecture and landscape design firm on Whidbey Island. Prior to starting his own practice, Matthew researched and developed sustainable design guidelines for Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum; pioneered cluster development and pocket neighbourhoods with Ross Chapin Architects; and served as a founding member and co-director for the Solar Information Center at the University of Oregon. http://homestylegreen.com/104 |
Tue, 23 July 2013
Design Navigator is a great, online resource for calculating the thermal performance of your house plan. I spoke with developer, Albrecht Stoecklein about why he created it and a great new feature he's just added. References
Direct download: 42_Design_Navigator_with_Albrecht_Stoecklein.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 10:10pm NZDT |
Tue, 30 April 2013
Is it 'Passive House' or 'Passivhaus'? That was one question I put to expat Kiwi, and architect Elrond Burrell. The main question though, is Passivhaus even relevant to New Zealand? Elrond currently works as an Architect in the Herefordshire branch of Architype: http://www.architype.co.uk/ In this episode, we also cover:
Resources:
Direct download: 30_Is_Passivhaus_Relevant_to_NZ_Elrond_Burrell.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 10:29pm NZDT |
Thu, 18 April 2013
At the Prefab HIVE event a couple of weekends ago, I caught up with Jamie Harrington from Ekokit. I've had the pleasure of assessing some of Jamie's Hybrid Homes in Nelson, which are not only very high performing, they're also aesthetically stunning. WIth Ekokit, Jamie's team have applied the same sustainable philosophies to a modular, cost effective set of house plans. Their features include:
For more information and to contact Jamie, go to http://www.ekokit.co.nz |
Thu, 2 August 2012
An architectural designer sits somewhere between a draughter and an architect. Bob Burnett is an experienced architectural designer in Christchurch and he explained to me some of the reasons why it's a good idea to consult with a designer if you're planning a new build or a renovation. Bob is also an experienced energy modeller using ArchiCAD's Eco Designer and he shares a great story about how he saved a client by redesigning their roof. Bob's website is at: http://www.bbarc.com In this show we also mention:
Remember, you can contact me at comments@homestylegreen.com |
Sun, 10 June 2012
It was my pleasure to interview Verney Ryan this week. Verney has been influential in the field of sustainable building and design bother here in New Zealand and overseas. Listen in to see how Verney describes his 'job'. Links mentioned in this cast include: BRE: http://www.bre.co.uk/ Beacon NOW homes http://www.beaconpathway.co.nz/new-homes Homestar http://homestar.org.nz
Direct download: 8_Introducing_Verney_Ryan.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 9:15pm NZDT |