With New Zealand’s commitment to Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, the built infrastructure sector of the economy will have a significant part to play if the target is to be met. The Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 illustrates the need for lateral thinking.

GUEST POST: Jon & Yoshimi Brett discuss breaking down silos and ego-centric thinking to steer the industry towards more eco-centric ways of thinking. 

Ready! Fire! Aim! Sound Familiar? We’re often juggling multiple issues with a constant focus on value management and missing the real value. What if we shifted our thinking?

The process of designing and selecting insulation materials for the thermal envelope of a building is not a simple task.

GUEST POST: Jon & Yoshimi Brett discuss Tanglewood, their family home rebuild in the Eastern bays of Auckland which has achieved Net Zero Energy and Petal Certification under the stringent Living Building Challenge.

Heat Pumps are now well established as a heating source for the home which suits family life as it has been for the last decades, but will they have the same dominance following the disruptive game-changer of Covid-19?

‘Shovel-Ready’ is the adjective of the moment, but is it to be a 2019 descriptor or a 2021 descriptor? This will be important in 20 years time when the decisions about to be made will be well cemented in.

Windows form an important barrier and connection between the wide outside world and the cosy private environment of the building’s occupants. As the weakest point, attempts have been taken by industry to address the thermal vulnerability of this necessary building element.

With the current shortage of rain in much of NZ, especially in the North, it is appropriate to recognise the long-term change in rainfall patterns and to give serious consideration to having water storage for domestic use at most dwellings.

The industry needs to work to lessen inefficient delivery of materials, building waste and the movement of the workforce in order to reduce our environmental impact.