10-Star Church Square

New Zealand’s first two 10 Star Homestar Rated Homes. They needed to tick all the boxes to score a perfect 10 and with a 5 Star Lifemark standard. Both super-insulated and super-energy efficient with minimal power bills, these environmentally sound dwellings were built very healthy, warm, dry, comfortable while also attractive, liveable, incredibly practical, and delightful to live in. Both homes feature over 30 innovations that are not common in typical NZ homes. 

The first; a 140m² two storey three bedroom dwelling with two spacious bathrooms and attached carport. The ground floor accommodates a large living room utilising passive solar principles, with the centrally located stair separating the entry, kitchen/dining and utility areas such as toilet, laundry and walk-in pantry. The attached carport provides covered rear access. The stair landing has space for an office desk and storage on each side. The Master bedroom features a large ensuite, good storage and access to a small balcony with efficient space planning to eliminate wasted space, with no hallway. Designed as an exemplar home and demonstration project for the Superhome Movement, it provided open source sharing of design, technology and information for the public and the industry.

Built shortly after next door and measuring 150m² including a double carport, the second Superhome relates well to the Church Square environment, benefiting from the many established and protected trees. Every step of the design and construction process in this home was also carefully considered to maximise energy efficiency and a healthy living environment. Featuring a fully insulated concrete rib-raft floor slab with hydronic underfloor central heating system, Moisture Master ducted whole home energy recovery ventilation system with full height internal doors, and 4.1kW PV solar panel array. These are just some of the much-valued high-performance features helping to achieve a healthy, environmentally sound, and extremely comfortable home.

As Bob asks, "why can't all houses be built like this?"

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