Projects Archives

Wanaka Homestar 7 rated house

September 4, 2017 by Jessica Eyers Filed Under: Projects

The developer of this house in Wanaka wanted it to be a cut above what is generally available on the market.

They wanted a contemporary design with guaranteed low energy demand and superior environmental credentials.

We modelled the energy demand in PHPP and used the tool and sun studies in ArchiCAD to assess and mitigate its overheating risk. As is often the case in Wanaka, the views are to the west and this often leads designers to use large areas of west facing glazing, which then receives the brunt of the fierce, low afternoon sun. The design of this house balances the need for passive solar gain with the beautiful views of Mt Roy and Black Peak to the west. It is also moulded to the section, stepping up with the incline of the land.

north elevation

The Homestar 7 rating was achieved through low energy design, Environmental Choice paints, finishes, linings and fittings, provision for recycling, composting and veggie gardens, xeriscaping (using native plants that require no irrigation once established), LED lighting, a Lifemark assessment, WELS rated (low flow) kitchen and bathroom fittings, FSC timber, and a waste and environmental policy for the contractor, amongst many other things that make up this very broad environmental tool. The house was rated in order for potential buyers to see an independent verification of its environmental credentials.

west elevation

East elevation

The Society would like to congratulate the applicant on their commitment to sustainable building. (Subdivision design board)

As with all our projects, we modelled the skillion roof in WUFI to check for moisture- transport issues. We used a membrane from Pro Clima to ensure that moisture does not accumulate in the skillion roof.

PVC windows were specified as a happy medium – the performance of timber windows but with minimal extra cost. A MAXRaft fully insulated slab ensures significantly reduced heat loss through the slab.

The developer is Red Bridge Developments. Thanks to them for seeing the value in both a higher quality build and also the value of the Homestar rating.

Twizel Ultra Low Energy Ehaus

August 31, 2017 by Jessica Eyers Filed Under: Projects

This holiday house was to be a base for its owners to explore the outdoors with their young family. They wanted something minimal, industrial, and inspired by south island high country huts. They wanted good connection to the outdoors, plenty of storage and overflow sleeping space for family and friends, hard-wearing durable finishes, a big mud room for wet and muddy gear and a warm comfortable efficient space. The Hiberna team worked with national Passive House experts eHaus to design and build a simple energy efficient house that was hard wearing but none the less outstanding in its performance and appearance.

One of the main challenges was the wind. Both for the design and on site during construction 155kmh gusts one night in january: Thats a force 2 hurricane. The site is in one of the highest wind zones in NZ and we needed significant extra structure LVL to cope with the high wind load. The design does include some sheltered outside sitting space to the east as the wind comes mostly from the north-west.

Sheltered lee side sitting area

We kept the Auckland clients up-to date with an app called Trello. We uploaded photos and gave regular updates so that they could follow the progress of the build from a distance.

Kitchen – functional and durable site poured concrete bench tops

One of our favourite features is the mudroom. The corten steel gives industrial, solid feel of it. Ben’s acoustic control (to help reduce echo from hard surfaces) battened ceiling came out beautifully.

Mudroom open

..and closed

Corten detail

Acoustic ceiling – Oiled NZ Oregon battens

Lounge from Mezzanine & bionic fire with white front glass

The Porcelanosa tiles reflect the texture of the corten.

Bathroom

Energy efficiency was very important to the clients. Twizel has a very extreme climate: Winter overnight lows can sometimes dip below -10C and highs in Summer are often above 30C. The clients approached eHaus because of their expertise and reputation for guaranteed warm and efficient houses built the PassivHaus way.

ehaus plaque

North side – solar shade

This home is healthy and comfortable to live in all year round while consuming minimal energy. Even in this extreme climate the only heating is a 5kW ‘Bionic’ wood burner, and even this is hardly used.

Bionic fire

Access to Mezzanine is via a hatch, LVL portals constructed onsite, Structural steel by Central Lakes Engineering

We designed the building envelope to have a continuous layer of insulation in this case SIP panels from NZSIP and a fully insulated raft foundation.

View from bathroom to west

East elevation

The solid timber high performance windows are locally made by Thermadura with triple glazing, they frame the stunning views with the right amount of external shading to protect from overheating in the summer.

Lounge lift and slide door

The house passed an air tightness test using a blower door to make sure there are no leaks.

We achieved an air change rate of 0.42 ACH – well below the Passive House standard of 0.6

The final key is a heat recovery ventilation system that ensures fresh, dry air 24/7. We used the Passive House Planning Package (energy modelling software) which will ensures that the house will perform.

Zehnder MHRV

Many thanks to Alpine Image Company for their beautiful pictures!

Alpine Images on site

Bale raising timelapse

September 30, 2015 by Ben Eyers Filed Under: Projects, Research

In October last year Ben and Jessica built their own straw-bale house. In one day they went from a few posts standing up, to completed bale walls and a roof! Watch the timelapse movie to see how.

The straw bale wall structure is Ben’s own invention. We believe that this method is fast and results in few thermal bridges. We strive to make straw bale construction efficient and affordable, while retaining the beautiful, soft, hand-crafted aesthetic and ambience that attracts people to straw bale.

Hiberna sprays their plaster using an industrial plaster pump and then finish it by hand. The use of the pump results in plastering labour reduced by up to two thirds.

We can offer square metre rates for straw bales walls and you will be surprised how cost effective it can be. Contact us to find out more.

before…[photograph by www.alpineimages.co.nz ]

…after! [photograph by www.alpineimages.co.nz ]

final adjustments as roof goes on [photograph by www.alpineimages.co.nz ]

Sussex Summer-house

August 20, 2015 by Ben Eyers Filed Under: Projects

The Whitfeld Summer-house was built in Sussex, England. The brief was to use recycled/re-purposed materials as possible and also for it to be hand-crafted and warm. to this end we sourced most of the framing timber from the Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling project, roof tiles were salvaged from a demolition yard. The walls were 200mm thick achieved with 4×2 staggered studs (this is an effective way to minimise thermal bridging) and insulated with blown in cellulose. We clad the building in oak weatherboards. The interior was lime plastered over reed matting with some panels of beech that was milled from a tree onsite.

railway sleeper piles | UK

Reclaimed Framing | UK

Double door seal detail | UK

lime plaster with horse hair | UK

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