Home Style Green - Sustainable Design and Building (Sustainable Design)

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.

Direct download: 205_Revolve_Energy.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 5:50pm NZDT

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
http://homestylegreen.com/164

Direct download: 164_Nook.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 5:46pm NZDT

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

 

Direct download: 157_Hitesh_Mehta.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 9:05pm NZDT

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

Direct download: 104_Taproot.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 8:50pm NZDT

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

  • http://www.designnavigator.co.nz/index.html
  • http://www.energywise.govt.nz/resource/design-sun
  • http://www.ecotect.co.nz/PDF/eecapsfs.pdf
  • http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/abtcit/ec/bldsus/pdf/energy/designsun.pdf
Direct download: 42_Design_Navigator_with_Albrecht_Stoecklein.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 10:10pm NZDT

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:

  • What is Passive House?
  • How can designers and builders of high performance homes compete with the mass market?
  • How important is indoor-outdoor flow and can you still achieve Passivhaus with it?
  • Can Passivhaus be mass produced?
  • What's the role of social media for building professionals?

Resources:

Direct download: 30_Is_Passivhaus_Relevant_to_NZ_Elrond_Burrell.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 10:29pm NZDT

28: Ekokit - How to Build an Attractive, Efficient & Affordable Home

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

Direct download: 28_Ekokit.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 5:15am NZDT

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:

  • Architectural Designers New Zealand; http://www.adnz.org.nz
  • New Zealand Institute of Architects; http://www.nzia.co.nz
  • Homestar; http://homestar.org.nz

Remember, you can contact me at comments@homestylegreen.com

Direct download: 14_Bob_Burnett.mp3
Category:Sustainable Design -- posted at: 8:49pm NZDT

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

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