Performance and appearance are a winning combination for Bob Burnett Architecture, which took out the Residential New Home between 150sqm and 300sqm category at the ADNZ Resene Architectural Design Awards 2017 for a beautiful, high performance, and environmentally sound home at Barry’s Bay.
Bob has led the way with energy-efficient, environmentally sound design for nearly two decades.
At the 2017 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards he was presented with the Sustainability Superstar award, due in part to his work on establishing the Superhome Movement, a not-for-profit, industry-led group with the goal of raising standards so all new New Zealand homes are healthier and more energy efficient.
“We now have almost 100 participating architects, designers, builders, suppliers, and subcontractors who are sharing ideas about creating healthier, more sustainable buildings,” he says.
The launch of the Superhome Movement coincided with the completion of New Zealand’s first home to achieve a 10 Homestar Built rating in 2015, a sustainable and energy-positive Bob Burnett Architecture designed 140sqm home at Church Square in Addington.
Bob Burnett Architecture has designed Superhomes ever since, from seven and up to 10 on the Homestar Built scale.
According to BRANZ research, almost all new New Zealand homes target building code minimum standard which comes in at three on the Homestar Built scale.
Bob thinks most architects and designers aren’t designing high performance homes because they think their clients prefer to spend money on things they can see. But he says clients are slowly changing, becoming more educated, and learning to ask the right questions.
“Most people have focused on the dollar, how much it costs to build and what their power bill going to be, but they are starting to become aware it’s a health issue.
“In New Zealand we have a health crisis. We have the highest rate of asthma in the world, and research done by the University of Otago shows it is directly related to our poor housing. That’s why the Superhome Movement is openly sharing information; we think it’s important to do.”
Bob Burnett Architecture is not just about ecofriendly energy-efficiency, it’s also about aesthetically appealing, highly functional designs.
The site and surroundings of the award-winning Barry’s Bay home inspired its natural and recycled material palette, which included cedar weatherboard, West Coast schist, copper, slate look Ecostar shingles, and expansive decking made from macrocarpa milled from trees on site.
Thicker, super-insulated walls, high performance windows, and an edge insulated concrete floor slab were high-performance specifications which far exceed building code minimums.
Over-sized eaves to the expansive high performance glazing were carefully detailed to protect from overheating, while still allowing natural light, sun access, and views from picture-frame windows in every room.
A second lower eave protects the home from excessive solar gain on all elevations of the fully glazed northern living wing.
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The award-winning Barry’s Bay home has a natural and recycled material palette, which included cedar weatherboard, West
Coast schist, copper, slate look Ecostar shingles, and decking made from macrocarpa milled on site.
