Posts for Construction
Things one would not have expected
Today I have had news of a NZ first: One of the leading NZ aluminium window manufacturers is taking uPVC windows into their range. And they look terrible familiar. It’s the Koemmerling range, that had been around in NZ for some time.
Design your own eco house workshop short movie
A short movie made during our last “Design your own eco house” workshop. The workshop over two days on a weekend and gives you helpful insights and advice when designing your own building.
Bay of Plenty gets New Zealand’s first ‘perfect 10’ Homestar house
A home under construction in Papamoa has just become the first in the country to achieve the highest possible rating of 10 Homestar. [..]While I always like great sustainable buildings, I am also very careful with achievements vs. cost. After all, economics are part of…
How we design
Again and again I am astonished as to how long it takes for a great idea for a design until it becomes mainstream. It likewise amazes me how we design things on a daily basis, the things that are not the great inventions but just…
Net-zero INhouse boasts water-smart solutions essential for parched California | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Stories of drought-stricken California have become sadly common, with many citizens forced to slash their water use so severely they’ve let their gardens die. Luckily, innovative architecture is proving that a water-conscious lifestyle doesn’t necessitate giving up your green thumb. Students at the California Polytechnic…
Australia: Tackling housing unaffordability: a 10-point national plan
Looks like Australia is having similar problems as New Zealand is facing.The widening cracks in Australia’s housing system can no longer be concealed. The extraordinary recent debate has laid bare both the depth of public concern and the vacuum of coherent policy to promote housing…
Is NZ ready for $10b of Chinese cash about to drop on property market?
The Productivity commission did a report in 2012 and outlined many issues, actually a very interesting report to read. Another updated draft report was just released two weeks ago and contains pretty much the same findings. Yet again I note that the issues have not…
Ingo @ Green Living Show: Smarter House Design – Affordable And Sustainable Homes For New Zealand
I will be presenting at the Green Living Show 2015 at the ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Room 3, 10:30 am on Sunday 28 June.The subject will be: “Smarter House Design – Affordable And Sustainable Homes For New Zealand”.Executive Summary: Land and resources become scarcer and more expensive, energy…
Auckland Housing crisis – all the wrong assumptions and information
The median house price in Auckland is now at $750K, a number that our family would probably struggle to afford with us two parents working in well advanced positions. Clearly investors are currently setting the market price as they have access to the required funds,…
Government partnership kickstarts Wynyard Quarter’s push to be exemplar of sustainable city building | EECA: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
Some great news. And an amazingly well done website for the Wynyard Quarter in Auckland. Maybe we will be getting a good waterfront after all… A quest to make Wynyard Quarter an international exemplar for sustainable development has had a major boost today with the…