Home Style Green - Sustainable Design and Building

Inspiring people to create a better place to live. How do you make a home that's warm, healthy and energy efficient? Matthew is a trained engineer and has worked in various programmes aimed a making homes more sustainable. This podcast brings you the best designers, architects and product experts to discuss how to make homes stylish and green.

Build Aotearoa 10: Warmer and Wetter 04/20/2024

Build Aotearoa 10: Warmer and Wetter This week I attended a BRANZ seminar titled 'Building for our changing climate'. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was the last stop on the BRANZ seminar tour of the country and it's encouraging to think that rooms of designers, builders, product suppliers, building officials and others, were interested enough in this topic to take four hours out of their week. A key takeaway is that we're not prepared. We're already handicapped by having insufficient standards in our building code to deal with our current climate. With the forecast being 'warmer and wetter', the situation is set to get worse. https://homestylegreen.com/?p=5936 /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30910188

Build Aotearoa 9 with Steve Penny 04/13/2024

Build Aotearoa 9 with Steve Penny Steve Penny is the founder and director at , a building services consultancy in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is also the host of his own podcast, . /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30811138

Build Aotearoa 8: Cool by Design with Siân Taylor 04/01/2024

Build Aotearoa 8: Cool by Design with Siân Taylor Many people might be surprised to know that the New Zealand Building Code does not require any consideration of overheating in homes. The energy efficiency requirements in our code are based only on the ability of buildings to keep warm without excessive heat loss. There is nothing to prevent homes from being designed with large areas of unshaded north or west-facing glass. Siân Taylor is an Architect and Passive House Designer based in Queenstown. She has experience creating homes that are designed to perform well all year round, in some of the most challenging and spectacular locations. Follow Siân on and check out Team Green Architect's latest work at https://www.teamgreenarchitects.co.nz/. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30618238

Build Aotearoa: Changing the Window Industry with Benjy Simmons 03/23/2024

Build Aotearoa: Changing the Window Industry with Benjy Simmons Stärke has been in the window industry in New Zealand since the 80s. They were at the forefront of supplying aluminium frames to the building industry but have recently made some big changes. With a focus on building performance, Benjy Simmons describes the new direction of Stärke as a 'once-in-fifty-year' change. While the company has a long legacy, they've experienced rapid change over the last few years. Benjy credits some of the openness to change to him being from outside the industry. He's come in with a different perspective. "We're beginning to see ourselves as a building performance company not just a window and door company", says Benjy. Check out the full range of Stärke along with their and other resources. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30508398

Build Aotearoa 6: Framology with Pete Hammond 03/15/2024

Build Aotearoa 6: Framology with Pete Hammond More is not always better, especially regarding the amount of timber in the frame of a house. The more timber there is, the less space there is for insulation. The way this is measured is called timber fraction. Most homes in Aotearoa are designed using the assumption that timber will make up around 14% - 18% of the area in a wall. A found that in reality, the average timber fraction is closer to 40%. This means there is considerably less space available for insulation. Unfortunately, this is not always picked up during the consenting or pre-lining inspection process. H1 Energy Efficiency calculations are checked at the design stage, usually using the much lower default timber fraction assumption. The result of all this is that many consumers are effectively getting less insulation than they're paying for, and much more thermal bridging. PlaceMakers has recently launched a new service providing a detailed report of the actual timber content for any wall frame and roof truss they supply. This accurate figure can then be used to provide true H1 calculations. Alternatively, a designer might choose to adapt their plan to reduce the thermal bridging and increase the amount of insulation. National Technical Resource Manager, Pete Hammond explains how works. We also discuss the option of using external insulating products like to eliminate thermal bridges. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30394733

Build Aotearoa: 5 Building Science with Denise Martin 03/09/2024

Build Aotearoa: 5 Building Science with Denise Martin Denise Martin has been involved with many of Aotearoa's Passive House projects. As one of the most experienced blower door testers in the country, she's been involved with verifying a range of residential and commercial buildings both in New Zealand and Australia. I caught up with Denise to chat about how she got into building science in the first place and some of the challenges and opportunities facing the building sector in New Zealand. We also discuss the building code, energy modelling, thermal performance and air tightness. If you don't already, I highly recommend following Denise on , and . /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30298503

Build Aotearoa 4: Quality and Quantity 03/02/2024

Build Aotearoa 4: Quality and Quantity I found it confronting guest this past week as she described the experiences of staying in motel emergency accommodation with a young daughter. From my relative privilege (of choosing the right parents and having things turn out ok for me so far), I find it hard to imagine being in this situation. But it's the reality for nearly 6,500 people across Aotearoa, half of whom are children. This is an emergency, and the problem is complex. The solution will require more than simply building more houses because the underlying issues are more complex than that. Related to this is a proposal from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to in New Zealand. This is something I'd like to look at in more detail because we must get the balance right. In 2023, MBIE sought public submissions in response to an on a review of the building consent system. This week MBIE published a . At the other end of the spectrum, I caught up with Jonathan Holmes about living in a Certified Passive House Premium home and working on assessing the embodied carbon in our buildings. Other links for this week's podcast episode: Be sure to register for /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30196018

Build Aotearoa on Safe(ish) Ground 02/25/2024

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 the Canterbury Earthquakes, but many lost so much more. What would a moratorium on , tsunami or fire risk areas, look like? How would the resulting plummet in land values impact the economy and further inflate the cost of housing? But if not now, when? The risks are likely to get higher and ultimately we have to ask ourselves if we're prepared to keep making our stop-banks higher or retreat to higher, less shaky ground. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/30095568

Build Aotearoa 2 Principles and Performance.MP3 02/16/2024

Build Aotearoa 2 Principles and Performance.MP3 There are fundamental gaps in what the New Zealand Building Code covers and how well it covers the aspects that are included. These reasons should be enough to justify using standards like Passive House or Homestar to go above and beyond the building code. In this series, I'll be looking at reasons why it's better to ask about the value and risk minisation resulting from higher performance standards rather than focussing only on perceived upfront cost. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/29992488

Build Aotearoa 02/06/2024

Build Aotearoa 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. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/29818483

274: Doing Windows Well 08/28/2022

274: Doing Windows Well There are not many new ideas in the building industry. The basic concepts have been around for a while. 'High-performance' products and design details that might be described as 'innovative' here in New Zealand are likely to be standard practice somewhere else. With building his experience in Europe and Scandanavia Richard Eden is well placed to help New Zealand builders do things better. He can often be found teaching builders around the country how to do a good quality install of good quality windows. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/24185034

273: Our Homes Are Getting Smart 08/14/2022

273: Our Homes Are Getting Smart Brad Wills is Director: Strategic Customers & Programs at Schneider Electric. Based in Tennessee, he has three decades of experience with the organisation. We discuss the diverse range of products and services now offered by Schneider as well as the exciting opportunities for smart metering, microgrids, onsite battery storage and more. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/24045813

272: A Passive House in Taupō 08/06/2022

272: A Passive House in Taupō In 2007 when Kim Feldborg arrived in New Zealand he was surprised at how cold and inefficient the houses were, despite growing up in much colder European climates. Originally from Denmark, Kim has built houses in Greenland, Norway, Germany and England. He now enjoys life in a Certifed Passive House he built himself in Taupō. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/23976468

271: Super Reno 07/31/2022

271: Super Reno Growing up in a typical kiwi home, it wasn't until he had lived in the UK for a bit that Damien McGill realised we don't need to be suffering through winter in cold, damp houses. Damien is an engineer and knows how things should be put together so they don't fall apart. But he's interested in more than that. In this chat, Simon Cator and I discuss how Damien got into the Superhome Movement. We also review his experience working on his own 'Super-Reno'. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/23909175

270 Richard Houghton 07/22/2022

270 Richard Houghton Richard Houghton now lives in a very good, healthy home. But that wasn't always the case. Along with Simon Cator from Pro Clima NZ, we discuss Richard's journey in designing and building an energy-efficient SIP home just outside Auckland, New Zealand. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/23832389

269 The Style of Sustainability 04/14/2022

269 The Style of Sustainability Bert Sarkkinen has built a successful timber framing company around a solid philosophy grounded in the style and craftsmanship of a unique and timeless form of building. Bert appeared on the Home Style Green podcast back in episode 176. A couple of years on, Arrow Timber Framing has expanded into a larger facility and Bert has recently released the second edition of his book, The Art of Hybrid Timber Framing. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/22798748

268: Regenerative Housing 03/26/2022

268: Regenerative Housing 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 this has tended to undermine the values that we should otherwise associate with where we live. Housing should protect, shelter and foster community, but we've tended towards the commoditisation of housing. There are solutions that can help provide better housing and helping people implement these solutions is the basis for Zola's social enterprise. https://www.commonground.net.nz /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/22575914

267 Architecturally Designed Modular Homes Built in New Zealand 03/13/2022

267 Architecturally Designed Modular Homes Built in New Zealand Mariano Croce is an Argentine entrepreneur who relocated into Queenstown with his young family just before the first COVID lockdown in 2020. He has a background in prefabrication, having co-founded a modular building company in Argentina when he was 24. More than 15 years on, Mariano has created Modulo.nz to provide architecturally designed, high-performance, modular homes built in New Zealand. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/22429028

266: It's Time to Speckel! 02/13/2022

266: It's Time to Speckel! Darren O'Dea is a self-confessed building physics nerd. Along with co-founder David Carroll, he has helped to create Speckel, a platform for designing low carbon, healthier, durable and energy-efficient buildings. Having proven popular with architects and consultants in Australia, Speckel is now available in New Zealand. Find out more at https://www.speckel.io/ /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/22114064

265: Smart Healthy Green 12/04/2021

265: Smart Healthy Green Sabine Schoenberg is co-founder of the Smart Healthy Green Living network, a collection of videos and streaming content on everything from tiny homes and carpentry to interior design and gardening. Through her network, Sabine is promoting the 'Do One Thing' campaign to help everyone take a step towards living a more sustainable life. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/21375641

264 How to Control Air 11/27/2021

264 How to Control Air My third conversation with Simon Cator in our series on the control layers of a well-performing building envelope. In this episode, we cover the why and how of airtightness. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/21297758

263: The Many Benefits of Building with Hemp 11/20/2021

263: The Many Benefits of Building with Hemp Hemp is an extremely versatile material. It may have a complicated recent history due to medicinal and other uses, but the benefits of industrial hemp have been known for a long time. Jo Say, co-founder of the Hemp Building Association New Zealand explains why it's a great time to start rediscovering some of the many benefits of building with hemp. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/21230564

262: Weathertight vs Waterproof 11/12/2021

262: Weathertight vs Waterproof Following my previous chat with Simon Cator we continue our discussion about how to construct a good building envelope. This week we're focussing on keeping the weather out. We cover the benefits of a monolithic membrane instead of a microporous one, the importance of being resistant to water while maintaining permeability to vapour, and how to keep everything connected. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/21146543

261 Casey Curtis 10/23/2021

261 Casey Curtis Casey Curtis shares tips on how and why to create airtight buildings, the benefits of mid-build open homes, and using collaborative design to create the right house on any given site. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/20915090

260 The Mold Medic 10/17/2021

260 The Mold Medic Michael Rubino is an educator, author and an expert in mould remediation of homes. In this interview he shares his journey and some tips on how we can make our homes a better, healthier place to live. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/20840657

259: Building Better Homes 08/06/2021

259: Building Better Homes Simon Cator is passionate about helping people to build better homes. Prior to becoming Regional Sales Manager for the Upper North Island at Pro Clima NZ, he worked for New Zealand's online architectural products library - EBOSS and also HRV before that. In this introductory episode, I spoke with Simon about the diversity of his role at Pro Clima and how he talks with people throughout the whole building industry to help change the way we do things. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/20061575

258 Matariki 07/03/2021

258 Matariki 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. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/19694114

257: What is Comfort? 06/20/2021

257: What is 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 what he describes as the 'warm side of engineering, he's long had an interest in energy efficiency. He didn't expect to be looking so much into human behavior. Germán has made some of the output of his research, freely available - The Atlas of Comfort. Find it at https://buildingsforpeople.org/ /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/19542263

256 An update on New Zealand's First Passive House Co-Housing Project 06/12/2021

256 An update on New Zealand's First Passive House Co-Housing Project Tim Ross featured on Home Style Green back in episode 191 to talk about getting starting on New Zealand's first Passive House co-housing project. I interviewed Tim again a year ago as we were kicking off the Passive House Podcast, and the Dunedin High Street Co-housing project was well underway. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/19448879

255 From Biophilic Design to Passive House 05/28/2021

255 From Biophilic Design to Passive House Justine Money describes herself as a British-Maori-Australian Architect. She brings a strong cultural sensibility to her practice. In this discussion, we chat about why Justine decided to take up the challenge of studying architecture as a mature-aged student, and her journey from biophilic design to Passive House. /episode/index/show/cutlerwelsh/id/19280438

Home Style Green - Sustainable Design and Building

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