Campbell Live on Homestar 10
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Campbell live interview Bob Burnett about New Zealands first 10 star home.
Superhome Movement
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The Superhome Movement is a not-for-profit, industry-led group focused on creating transformative change in the New Zealand building industry. The goal of the movement is to raise standards so that all new homes are healthier and more energy efficient, while also promoting environmental, economic, and socially sustainable practices.
In terms of building standards, New Zealand is around 20 years behind other developed countries in the OECD. In fact, almost all houses built today are built to the minimum standard allowed by law (equivalent to a Homestar rating of 3). This is well below what is acceptable in other developed countries where minimum standards are around a Homestar rating of 6 or above. New Zealand has one of the highest childhood asthma rates and childhood poverty rates in the OECD. Our children have 3rd world diseases that are rarely seen in developed countries. It economically and socially makes sense to invest in better houses. In a University of Otago study, it showed that for every dollar spent on housing, it saved $4 on healthcare. We need to update our houses and building codes so that our homes and children are healthy.
The Superhome Movement was founded in response to the Christchurch Earthquakes when Bob Burnett, who co-founded the movement, experienced first-hand the serious health effects sub-standard housing was having on his two young children. Seeing a lack of action by government and council groups inspired him to employ a grassroots, ground up approach to educating residents and industry groups in order to initiate behavioural change in decision making around designing and building warm, healthy homes.
Superhome movement participants are dedicated to helping you get a new home that will be warm and healthy, use less energy, be affordable, and last longer!
Exemplar Homes tour presentation 2016
Homestar
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We create energy efficient houses. Better to live in, better value in the market, and better for the environment.
Better by design
Bob Burnett and the team are at the heart of the new movement to improve New Zealand housing construction to ensure the advances in modern homes around the world are included here. Most NZ houses build to code are only 3 or 4 star energy performers, but for often no more you can have a house which can operate with a quarter the energy consumption of other houses and for up to 10-20 per cent more in construction cost you can be energy self-sufficient AND earthquake resistant.
The New Zealand general approach is building houses that are simply better replications of houses from 50 years ago, ignoring the vast improvements which are commonplace or required in parts of Europe, the Nordic countries and North America. Bob Burnett Architecture says we all deserve better and we start with each house we build now.
Lifemark rated homes are designed to be usable and safe for people of all ages and stages. They are easy to live in – for a lifetime.
Lifemark work alongside designers and builders to offer advice on how to make best use of space in a home, based on the principles of Universal Design. Any new home design and any size home can be Lifemark rated. It’s about designing to have space in the right place.