Home Style Green

Build Aotearoa January 2026

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode of Build Aotearoa for 2026.   Coming up this year,  the NZGBC will be celebrating 20 years of advocating for better bui...

THRIVE 25 Expo Part 2 - Supplier Spotlight

19 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I continue my coverage of the THRIVE 25 Conference with a series of interviews from the trade show floor. I spoke with leading suppli...

THRIVE 25 Exhibitor Showcase - Part 1

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I chatted with the wide range of exhibitors at the 2025 Australian Passivhaus Conference, THRIVE 25 in Melbourne. This year saw a growing contingent o...

Build Aotearoa December 2024 with Sharon Robinson and Glenn Harley

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

H1 Again with Jason Quinn

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government is seeking consultation on insulation standards. Again. Jason Quinn has waded through the details and provided a handy summary. Check...

Build Aotearoa ERP 2 with Elrond Burrell

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The government has released New Zealand's second emission reduction plan and it does mention building and construction.  Elrond Burrell shared his th...

Build Aotearoa MBIE Weather Files and Self Certification

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I'm joined again by Sharon Robinson and Glenn Harley for a chat about the possibility of builder self-certification and MBIE's updated weather files. ...

Wao Summit 2024 with Aaron Thule

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wao Summit 2024 is happening next week, 29th October - 2nd November. Speakers include John Bell, Monique Kelly, Dr. Jim Salinger, Alec Tang, Jane Lloy...

Build Aotearoa 22: Glenn Harley and Sharon Robinson

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Products and People Supporting PHINZ 2024

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Build Aotearoa 21: PHINZ 2024

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I caught up with Glenn Harley and Joseph Lyth to talk about the recent Passive House conference in Wellington, and other building issues in Aotearoa. ...

Build Aotearoa 20: Resilienz with Linday Wood

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

https://www.resilienz.co.nz/

Build Aotearoa 19: Constructive

17 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Notes from RMBA's Constructive Industry Forum. 

Build Aotearoa 18: Better Building with Monique Kelly of Wao

03 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wao is a collective dedicated to a regenerative future. I caught up with co-founder Monique Kelly to discuss why she does what she does, and their upc...

Build Aotearoa 17: Platinum Homes with Sam Watt

27 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

99 Waiwai Drive, Milldale north of Auckland looks like a regular new house in a regular new subdivision, but around 30 people visited the site mid-bui...

Build Aotearoa 16: Responsible Development with Kirsty Merriman

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsty Merriman is a property developer who is conscious about the type of homes she delivers. She's interested in sharing her knowledge about profita...

Build Aotearoa 15: Building Circularity

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Build Aotearoa, I explore the concept of building circularity and its impact on the construction industry. Learn about deconstructi...

Build Aotearoa 14: The Mammal House

06 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Build Aotearoa 13: Homestar vs Building Code

23 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The New Zealand Building Code does not guarantee performance in all areas that many homeowners might expect. Fortunately, Homestar is available to clo...

Build Aotearoa 12: Offsite NZ with Scott Fisher

02 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Fisher is the CEO of Offsite NZ. I caught up with him to discuss the history, current practice and future opportunities of offsite manufacturing...

Build Aotearoa 11 Global Climate Progress

26 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While researching a presentation to open the NZGBC 2024 Housing Summit, I looked into the climate initiatives of Europe and the US.  In Europe, over ...

Build Aotearoa 10: Warmer and Wetter

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Build Aotearoa 9 with Steve Penny

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Penny is the founder and director at Honoris, a building services consultancy in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is also the host of his own podca...

Build Aotearoa 8: Cool by Design with Siân Taylor

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people might be surprised to know that the New Zealand Building Code does not require any consideration of overheating in homes. The energy effi...

Build Aotearoa: Changing the Window Industry with Benjy Simmons

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 industr...

Build Aotearoa 6: Framology with Pete Hammond

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Build Aotearoa: 5 Building Science with Denise Martin

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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, sh...

Build Aotearoa 4: Quality and Quantity

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I found it confronting listening to Tova O'Brien's guest this past week as she described the experiences of staying in motel emergency accommodation ...

Build Aotearoa on Safe(ish) Ground

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Build Aotearoa 2 Principles and Performance.MP3

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Build Aotearoa

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

274: Doing Windows Well

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

273: Our Homes Are Getting Smart

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Wills is Director: Strategic Customers & Programs at Schneider Electric. Based in Tennessee, he has three decades of experience with the organisa...

272: A Passive House in Taupō

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Europ...

271: Super Reno

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

270 Richard Houghton

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

269 The Style of Sustainability

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bert Sarkkinen has built a successful timber framing company around a solid philosophy grounded in the style and craftsmanship of a unique and timeles...

268: Regenerative Housing

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Zola Rose has a vision for regenerative housing as a solution for improving communities and sustainability. She brings diverse and international exper...

267 Architecturally Designed Modular Homes Built in New Zealand

13 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

266: It's Time to Speckel!

13 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

265: Smart Healthy Green

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sabine Schoenberg is co-founder of the Smart Healthy Green Living network, a collection of videos and streaming content on everything from tiny homes ...

264 How to Control Air

27 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

263: The Many Benefits of Building with Hemp

20 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

262: Weathertight vs Waterproof

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 k...

261 Casey Curtis

23 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

260 The Mold Medic

17 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

259: Building Better Homes

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

258 Matariki

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

257: What is Comfort?

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Germán Molina trained as an engineer in Chile and has recently completed fascinating research posing the question 'what is comfort? at Victoria Unive...

256 An update on New Zealand's First Passive House Co-Housing Project

12 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 in...

255 From Biophilic Design to Passive House

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Justine Money describes herself as a British-Maori-Australian Architect. She brings a strong cultural sensibility to her practice. In this discussion,...

The Impact of Interior Design

15 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Georgia Ezra has a lot on the go. Based in Melbourne, she's the Founder and Director of her own interior design practice Studio Ezra. She also sources...

253: How to build a Passive House family home on a very tight budget

01 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Lyth is building his family home on a very tight budget. He's also building to the Passive House standard. In this interview, he shares some of hi...

252: Let's Change the Building Code

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Ministry of Innovation Building and Employment (MBIE) has released its consultation document for proposed changes to the New Zealand Building Code...

How to get paid for giving sustainability advice

18 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Danielle King moved into the sustainability field about fifteen years ago and has built up her consultancy Green Move Australia with a diverse range o...

The two key principles of home performance

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stuart Lee loves what he does, which is mostly building Passive House homes in Victoria, Australia. He was an early adopter of sustainable building an...

249: How to build a healthy home for an ideal lifestyle

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Pickering is building an affordable but high quality, healthy and very energy efficient home for himself and his family on a lifestyle block in N...

248: What does a Passive House have in common with an F-111?

27 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Stewart used to fly in high performance aircraft with the Royal Australian Air Force. Now he helps architects, designers and builders with the h...

247 Sanctum Homes

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hamish White is Director of Sanctum Homes, based in Victoria Australia. He's a registered Domestic Builder with a marketing degree! Since discovering ...

246: Hawea Flat Passivhaus

06 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Hawea Flat Passive House in the middle of the South Island is a very special home. It boasts a number of 'firsts' for New Zealand and the journey ...

245 Your Surroundings are Everything

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Rohrer-Lauer is an interior designer and business owner with nearly four decades of experience. She works with discerning clients out of her ...

244: Best Techs Contracting

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jason Scheurer has always been a business owner and he's always been motived to learn. Today, he and his wife Penny own and operate Best Techs Contrac...

243 Get rid of Gas

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Keech lives in a zero-carbon home in Melbourne. After some time in the Royal Australian Air Force and then as a software engineering and consu...

242: Sustainable Furnishings Council

16 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Inglis has always been a conscious consumer. In 2007 she helped set up the Sustainable Furnishings Council to promote awareness of all the 'stuf...

241: What's so Good about Wood?

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Stulen is Co-Founder and Communications Director for Innovatek. He's passionate about wood and through the WoodWorks brand, John helps the constr...

240: Unearthing Passive House

13 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dean Hoggart found geology fascinating. He followed this passion hoping for a career in geothermal energy. After becoming a successful geotechnical en...

239: How to Build the Right Home

05 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Crawford first appeared on Home Style Green when Our New Home Coach was just getting started. Six years on, she's back to discuss her journey...

238: Building Passive Houses

28 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

WD Homes (Wayne Dyet Homes Ltd) is a family run residential construction company, established in January 2005, based in Dunedin. 'Certified Passive Ho...

Smart Exteriors

22 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Glaze is an expert in the exterior home remodelling industry and specialises in siding and gutter protection systems. He started in the busines...

236: Sustainability Leadership

14 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sheryl Owen's purpose is to create a sustainable environment where everyone can thrive. The environment, says Sheryl, should not be a commodity availa...

235: From Gaudi to Passive House

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While on tour as a young US Marine, Josh Oqueli was stationed in Spain for 6 months. In Barcelona, he walked into the Basílica de la Sagrada Família...

The Business of Sustainable Building

01 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Sroufe, PhD. is a Professor of Sustainability, Operations and Supply Chain Management at Duquesne University. His practical experience comes fr...

233: Using the gifts of the site to create a healthy, resilient home

24 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Living Shelter Architects is a design firm led by Terry Phelan in the Northwest of Washington State. The focus of their work is to provide healthy, re...

Sustainable Opportunties

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

VCA Green provides green building consulting and commissioning. Their mission is to help clients achieve sustainability goals and long-term cost savin...

231 Designing Light and Treading Lightly

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How is overlighting of our internal environments, and overshading our cities, affecting our wellbeing? Antony DiMase is a thoughtful Architect based i...

230 How to Make Houses Perform

03 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Enveloped provide all the products and systems you need to take an ordinary house and make it a high-performance home. Murray and his team help with t...

229: Be Significant

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Through his work, Simon Croker is showing that designers can make a difference and be significant wherever they are. From big city firms to small coun...

228 The Shape of Sustainable Architecture

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Architects shape the places where they work. Good Architects are themselves also shaped by their surrounding environment. Living and working in Wanaka...

227: CarbonLite

05 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CarbonLite is a producer of prefabricated Passive House and high-performance buildings, based in Victoria Australia. Founder Burkhard Hansen explains ...

226 Idealings Architecture

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Idealings Architecture is based in Fremantle, Western Australia and serves Perth and the Southwest of the state. Run by Timo and Najwa Bleeker, the ai...

Abodo Wood

23 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After studying Japanese and international business, Daniel Gudsell's plan was to go to Japan and sell New Zealand produced milk, but he ended up selli...

224 Why are we so far behind?

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Murray Robertson took a liking to technical drawing during intermediate school, which he carried on through college. After considering both industrial...

223 Sustainable Architecture

08 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019 Anne Salmond was made a Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, a high honour available to a maximum of only ten peop...

222 Third Little Pig

01 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Wansbrough is the Founder and Director of Third Little Pig, a custom home builder based in Christchurch. We discuss how Simon got into building ...

221 Polystudio

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Wolkenberg is a student of the 90s. He took the fairly typical route out of Architecture School and worked for a couple of different studios as...

220 Oil Rigs to Passive Houses

05 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Before Reece Beresford trained as a builder and started his own company, he did some time working on oil rigs. Now he's aspiring to build Certified Pa...

219 Blue Sky Windows

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Viktoria Nikitina is Managing Director of Blue Sky Windows, a manufacturer of high quality, high performance uPVC windows based in Melbourne, Victoria...

218 A Sustainable ICF ECO-Block Home

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Cator of Pro Clima New Zealand recently caught up with Kirstie Brown at a sustainable house that Kirstie has built using ECO-Block Insulation Co...

217 High Performance Lessons from Luxury Homes

14 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Browsing the photo gallery on Jeff Bogard's R.E.A Homes website, 'sustainability' is not likely the first word that comes to mind. Can large, luxury h...

216 Why don't we know about thermal bridges down here?

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I'm always interested in the perceptions of architects and builders who have been trained or have experienced living in Europe and then come to the So...

215 Building Biology

30 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joachim Herrmann developed an interest in building biology while working as a teacher. As a trained biologist, he describes the science of life as "en...

214 Energy Efficient Homes

23 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Whitehouse wants to build houses that work the way they should, and he's thinking about how to make them affordable for everyone.

What's so good about uPVC windows and doors?

16 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The uPVC window market is relatively small in Australia right now, but it's growing fast. I caught up with Kathrin Sender, Managing Director at Integr...

212: Don't Build a Garden Shed!

10 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Chamberlain learnt his craft as a cabinet maker and joiner in the UK. Nearly 40 years on, he's now crafting beautiful and high performing homes in...

211 Energy Architecture

03 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Guy Shaw, Energy Architecture Guy Shaw of Energy Architecture originally trained in Wellington, New Zealand. But it was his experience working as ...

211: Energy Architecture

02 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Energy Architecture is based in Wellington and specialises in Passive House design with leading expertise in designing for SIP construction. Find out ...

210: How to Build a Stunning Sustainable Home

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Enduro Builders is quickly becoming one of the leading builders of high performance and sustainable homes in Australia. I met up with Jackson while he...

209: How to Live Well with Livewel Construction

11 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Ingledew has a background in teaching, but following the Canterbury Earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, he took a new path which eventually lead to Live...

208: OMEGA Windows and Doors

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Aluminium is stable, completely recyclable and relatively abundant, but it's also a great conductor of heat. It's the dominant choice of material for ...

207: How Woman-Centric Home Design leads to Better Outcomes

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Design Basics has as unique point of difference. They value and promote the input of women in the design process. I discuss with Executive Vice Presid...