News and Media

Green Kiwi homes showcased on the world stage

Written by Andrew Eagles | 04 November 2021

We are part of a global movement of Green Building Councils, spanning continents, cultures, timezones and languages. Together, we are focusing on the biggest issue facing the world: climate change.

Globally, buildings and construction make up around 40% of the entire planet’s carbon pollution. That puts our sector in a hugely important position. Working with each other, we can lead the way – globally and in Aotearoa – to massively reducing climate change-causing emissions. Pioneering pollution-free buildings can show the true importance of our sector.

And the importance of our sector will increasingly be measured not in dollar values, but in the amount of pollution we have slashed. Big profits and big pollution, in any industry, will no longer be compatible with each other in the fast-coming times ahead.

To show how important our sector is in tackling climate change, the headline-grabbing crunch climate negotiations in Glasgow – COP26 – have an entire day dedicated to the built environment. 11 November has been named Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day.

As part of COP26, our mates at the World Green Building Council and the UK Green Building Council have launched Build Better Now, an exhibition showcasing the built environment’s vital role. You can check it out virtually here: https://buildbetternow.co/.

And, featuring on this world stage is an awesome project from right here in Aotearoa. Kāinga Ora’s Ngā Kāinga Anamata development in Auckland is one of just 17 projects from around the globe selected to feature in the Build Better Now exhibition.

The net zero energy homes in the project should achieve both a high certification in Homestar v5, plus Passive House certification too.

It’s great to see a project like this getting global attention, and it’s a great example too of how Homestar and Passive House can work together so well. Keep an eye out for a short document we’ll be releasing soon showing just this.

As always, do please drop me or any member of the team a line with any questions or suggestions. And don’t forget to register for our AGM on 25th November, to hear all about a great year, hear a great new case study, have a say in important decisions, and hear about our world leading plans for reducing embodied carbon in buildings.

Ngā mihi

Andrew