Tag Archives: social housing

Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CET) course makes a visible difference to lives and businesses

Building for the future, Climate change, Education, Efficiency First, Efficient building, Energy Efficiency, Healthy Homes, One thing I learnt, Passive Houses, PHANZ, PHINZ, Social Housing, , , , , , , , ,

What are the important things that make your life comfortable..healthy…happy? If you scaled that idea up to your community, have you ever thought what that community might look like? Would it be a place where you’re not shivering by a fire at night so you don’t spend too much on power? Or where your child isn’t coughing from the mould in their bedroom or the condensation down their windows in the morning? Or would it be walking into a school or workplace in winter and staying comfortable all day so you can think on more important things? In that community, would it be taken for granted that everyone naturally had access to that comfort and health?

We wanted to find this out too, and to see what differences were being made in the community by doing the Passive House courses at the ground level. What we received was an inspiring insight from Certified Passive House Tradespersons Glenn Harley from Harley Builders and Lenny Basham from Basham Building Ltd

Here’s what Glenn had to say….

“By the time I signed up for the Passive House Tradesperson course, our company had already completed a couple of Passive House projects. The course offered by PHANZ dovetailed (sorry) nicely with the practical realities of a Passive House build.  I found the opportunity to calculate U values of various building materials interesting and applicable.  We got a window (there I go again) into European building techniques and products.
Kara has a witty and direct style honed from many years of teaching people how to build better. She is a fantastic resource available right here in Aotearoa.“

And Lenny highlighted how the CET course made a tangible difference to him and his business….

“As a passionate carpenter, I would highly recommend the Passive House Tradesperson Course. Previously, I had attended a Primer in Wellington. So I thought I had a reasonable understanding of what a Certified Passive House was. However, after completing the course, I had a much more comprehensive knowledge base on all things Passive and a lot more confidence in the field.

There have been many benefits to completing this course. It has enabled me to have educated debate with designers and engineers on how a building will perform. This has allowed me to dictate material choices and approaches to design. These professionals have been grateful to have someone that knows about thermal bridging or allowing for services such as ventilation in the design stage. This has then made the build easier.

The course gave me knowledge so that I have been able to work with designers in the certification process of a Passive House. We would’ve missed a heap of documentation such as key photos or detailing around airtightness if I had not completed the course. This would’ve been costly financially or we wouldn’t have a building that achieved Passive House standard.

Another bonus has been the ability to impress clients on how a home can perform and school them up on Passive details and design. That has seen me win a couple of tenders where competitors didn’t know about heating demands and the importance of good design.

The whole concept of a Passive House can be quite daunting at first. There’s so much detailing and numbers to get your head around compared to a standard build. A lot of it is quite intellectual and scientific. As a carpenter, you wonder what its relevance is, when all you want to do is build a quality home? The course helps bridge the gap between the design nerds behind the numbers and the fellas onsite who actually create the beast. The CET Tradesperson course gives you confidence to navigate through the whole process and it would simply be a whole lot harder to build a Passive House if you didn’t school yourself up first and do the course. I highly recommend it.”

The next in-person Certified Passive House Tradesperson’s course is happening in Auckland in May. You can find all the info on this, along with courses for Designers and Consultants at phanz.co.nz
You can also find Certified Passive House professionals in your area by heading to our members directory and filtering by “Certified Passive House Professionals”

Be part of the change.

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Passive House social housing project a catalyst for change in the building industry

Passive Houses, PHINZ, Social Housing, , , ,

Ngā Kāinga Anamata, which means “homes of the future” is a Kāinga Ora project aimed at driving carbon emission reduction in New Zealand’s construction industry.

The project will deliver 30 new homes within five, three-level apartment buildings in Auckland’s Glendowie. Each near identical building will use a different construction technology, enabling insights to be gathered on a range of building materials and systems.

  • Mass timber / cross laminated timber (CLT)
  • Light timber frame (LTF)
  • Precast concrete
  • Light gauge steel
  • Hybrid CLT / LTF

All 30 homes will target Passive House certification.

The project team expects the homes will meet all performance caps outlined in MBIE’s Building for Climate Change (BfCC) programme, and that it brings the Ministry for the Environment’s draft Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) to life. The knowledge gained from this project will enable and catalyse change in the building industry, demonstrating how meeting the Passive House standard and the BfCC’s targets can be achieved. Hon Dr Megan Woods, Minister for Housing, Energy & Resources, and Research, Science & Innvovation, says “This project will shape the way for the construction industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.” and says that the project is “Validating MBIE’s policy assumptions and demonstrating to industry that future carbon emission targets can be achieved using construction materials and systems that are available today.”

Kāinga Ora Commercial Director Matt Noyes acknowledged PHINZ’s support of the project thus far, and that of the Project Partners, including PHINZ members Context Architects (Project Architects) and Sustainable Engineering (Passive House Certifiers for the Project).

Brian Berg, who leads the Carbon Neutral Housing Team at Kāinga Ora says that Passive House was chosen for this project because it is an industry ready solution, and this played a big part in de-risking the project for Kāinga Ora’s investment. The evidence-based approach taken for the design of the project also meant Passive House was the obvious method to use. The combination of Passive House and the use of local renewable energy means this project will be net zero energy.

The use of industry ready solutions and processes was a big contributing factor into the project’s inclusion in the prestigious United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) Build Better Now Virtual Pavilion. The project is one of only 17 initiatives globally to feature in the pavilion, running from 31 October – 12 November buildbetternow.co .

Matt Noyes says “The homes we build today will set the path for our carbon emissions in the decades to come. We need to be part of the solution, driving innovation and transformation now to ensure good health and climate safety for future generations.”

Ngā Kāinga Anamata has a firm focus on achieving the Government’s carbon emission targets, with significant benefits to occupants, and importantly, the people who live in these homes will enjoy a comfortable and healthy home without fuel poverty.

For more information on Ngā Kāinga Anamata, see

https://kaingaora.govt.nz/ngakaingaanamata

Kāinga Ora social housing pilot project in spotlight at COP26 | Stuff.co.nz

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2110/S00289/kiwi-sustainable-housing-project-featured-at-cop26.htm

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Passive House Social Housing gets going in Aotearoa

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courtesy of Kāinga Ora

A Kāinga Ora social housing project in Māngere, Auckland has passed pre-construction review and is now on track to become the first central government funded Passive House social housing in Australasia. Construction on the 3 level, 18 unit “Bader Ventura” project is due to start by the end of this year, and to be completed by mid-2023. There are currently also another seven Kāinga Ora Passive House projects in the design phase, all 3 level walk-ups in Auckland. 

PHINZ CEO Amy Tankard paid tribute to Kāinga Ora’s vision in adopting the Passive House standard for this development.

“It’s fantastic that Kāinga Ora is taking the lead in starting to build housing that will not only keep occupants warm, dry and healthy, with minimal power bills, but also takes a big step towards meeting MBIE’s Building for Climate Change proposed 2035 targets. 

Kāinga Ora is the main housing provider in Aotearoa New Zealand, and therefore this commitment has massive implications for the future of building here. Bader Ventura will demonstrate that it is achievable to build to Passive House standard at scale. It will give certainty to suppliers and other Passive House industry professionals, and widen the knowledge base and awareness of Passive House”

Key partners on the project include PHINZ members 

Peddlethorp – Architects

Oculus – Passive House lead and facade engineer

Sustainable Engineering – independent certifier

Congratulations to all who have progressed the project to this point. We will be following with interest!

You can read more here:

New Mangere development promises tiny carbon footprint and power bills :: Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities (kaingaora.govt.nz)

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/latest/126303137/heating-for-1-a-day-kainga-oras-first-passivedesigned-social-housing-block-is-a-blueprint

Kāinga Ora announces first Passive House development | Architecture Now

Peddlethorp and Kāinga Ora celebrate first Passive House public housing development | Scoop News

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SPPHC21 – Call for Abstracts

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Passive House – Our Common Future

The South Pacific Passive House Conference will be held at AUT, Auckland, in November 2021

Conference Topics

  1. Passive House social housing
  2. Proven outcomes of Passive House projects
  3. Intergenerational well­ being and Passive House

We would like to see talks addressing these topics, but are open to all research on Passive House matters relevant for people in the South Pacific.

How to submit

  • Submissions close 30 June 2021 14 July 2021 (extended)
  • Abstracts must be a maximum of 2 pages, submitted in pdf format.
  • Email admin@passivehouse.nz for access to the submission platform
  • Submissions will be peer-reviewed, with speakers notified from August 2021

Please Note:

  • All presentations will be in person (COVID conditions dependent) in Auckland. Please confirm you are able to do this in your abstract submission.
  • All presentations will be filmed
  • All presentation slides will be published online

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A Successful Passive House Hui

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Saturday 31 October saw our largest hui to date, with over 80 attendees and 12 sponsor supplier stands, at Otago Polytechnic in Ōtepoti Dunedin.

After a Covid-related reschedule from August, we were lucky that our speakers and most of the original attendees were still available, and with a few new faces also now able to attend.

The day started informally as people arrived and enjoyed morning tea while networking and checking out the sponsor stands. There was an ever wider range of passive house components and products on display.

Mayor Aaron Hawkins kicked off the day with a thoughtful and inspiring address about the climate action the city council is taking. He mentioned the High Street Co-Housing Project, currently the largest Passive House project underway in Aotearoa NZ. He also shared an update on a project for 10 retirement dwellings being built to Passive House standard. This is aiming to be the first Passive House social housing project completed in Aotearoa NZ. Tautoko Dunedin City Council Kaunihera-a-rohe o Otepoti!

Tim Ross of Architype, local Passive House architects, gave us an update on his current projects, pointing out details and solutions of great interest to many of us. He clearly illustrated the power of a cross-sectional drawing to illustrate an unbroken thermal and airtight envelope which is central to Passive House.

Jason Quinn of Sustainable Engineering, and Gleb Speranski of BRANZ updated us on the High-Performance Construction Detailing Project. Members were excited to get their hands on this. The technical draft is now available to download from our website here: https://passivehouse.nz/Draft-HPCD Please review it and provide your feedback via the email address provided in the document. Cost and carbon information is still being developed and will be included with the details when it is published, projected to be March 2021. Gleb was also able to provide an update on work BRANZ is doing on warmer, drier, healthier homes. He also gave an insightful presentation of the recently published research by Beacon Pathway on thermal bridging in timber frame wall construction.

Lunch was another great opportunity to network, catch up with old friends, visit the supplier stands and reflect. Then we were on to architect Rafe Maclean for another great presentation, covering some of his current Passive House works in progress. Our CEO Amy then provided an update on PHINZ’s work over the last year, and plans for the next year and beyond.

Wayne Dyet of WD Homes, Tim Ross and Baden Brown of eHaus led a lively discussion on costs before we finished up with afternoon tea and more networking.

Associate Professor Tobias Danielmeier was instrumental in all the arrangements with the Polytech and helped ensure that the audiovisual components and the delicious catering ran smoothly on the day. Our photographer Bernard Park was able to capture some great photos of the day too.

Over half of the attendees rounded the day off with dinner out at No. 7 Balmac; the buzzing atmosphere from the hui spilled over into the restaurant in the evening.

Jonathan Holmes, owner of Hawea Flat Passivhaus, said

“Truly inspiring and well attended Passive House Hui event hosted at the Otago Polytechnic Architecture School, provided a welcome opportunity to get together as clients, suppliers, designers and builders to enthusiastically share ideas and experiences of designing and building healthy, comfortable and energy efficient homes across New Zealand.”

And Sian Taylor of Team Green said

“It’s always great to catch up with colleagues passionate about improving the built environment, and this year was no different. Completed with a great dinner out on Saturday night – a lot of fun!”

And many of us enjoyed the Sunday tours local members had arranged; A tour of the High Street Co-housing Project with Tim Ross and Baden Brown and a tour of Thermadura’s factory by Chris and Sandra Rampe, along with a lavish feast, with help from Jonathan Holmes and the Thermadura team.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to such an informative, enjoyable and successful event.

And a special thanks to the sponsors.

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Should our social housing be Passive House?

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Amy Tankard, CEO of PHINZ was interviewed on RNZ Nine To Noon on the 9th of July, alongside Alex Baker from Kāinga Ora and Emma Osmundsen from Exeter City Living. There is a good write up of the interview on the RNZ site here including the audio. You can also listen below.

With calls for a green edge to the post-covid recovery – and billions committed to building new state houses in New Zealand – should the Government be considering passive housing?

Passive homes require little-to-no heating because of their design. These are airtight, but ventilated and very well-insulated.

Advocates in New Zealand say there should be a legal requirement for all builds to be passive – and for social housing in particular. 

RNZ Nine To Noon: Should our social housing be passive?
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