Practical Pathways to Better Homes

Aug 11

Building for the Future: A Packed House, Big Ideas, and Practical Pathways to Better Homes

The latest Building for the Future gathering was a sell-out — in fact, oversubscribed — with a waiting list that could have easily filled the room twice over. The buzz on the night confirmed what many of us already suspected: there’s a growing appetite in our community to understand how to design and build better.

Attendees included homeowners, designers, builders, and those simply curious about what’s possible when we combine good design, smart science, and practical experience. Four speakers — each an expert in their field — shared insights that moved seamlessly between the technical and the immediately actionable.

Key Themes from the Night

Throughout the evening, several messages came through loud and clear:

Site selection and orientation are the foundation of a home’s performance.
Simple forms and smart detailing cut costs and improve energy efficiency.
Air tightness and moisture control protect buildings for decades and keep occupants healthy.
Windows and shading strategies can make or break comfort levels in both summer and winter.
Integrated design — with architects, builders, and interior designers collaborating early — avoids costly mistakes and ensures cohesive results.
Ventilation systems are increasingly vital for healthy, comfortable living.
Future trends point towards energy efficiency, durability, and reduced environmental impact becoming standard, not optional.

The Speakers & Their Insights

Charlotte Muschamp – ALKI Design

Architectural Designer

Charlotte opened the evening by stripping performance design back to its fundamentals. In her words, “do the basics right, and you’ll need far less of the expensive stuff.”

She walked the audience through the practicalities of site selection in Central Otago’s challenging climate: avoiding low fog traps, minimising exposure to prevailing winds, and making the most of the sun without inviting overheating. Orientation, she explained, is not just about chasing north light — in our region, east and west can be the real problem areas for unwanted heat gain.

Her talk covered:

Optimal building form: why rectangles beat complex shapes for cost and efficiency.
Daylight strategies: orienting living spaces, staggering bedroom placement, and using eaves or shutters to control seasonal sun.
Window placement and framing: why triple glazing in a poor-quality frame is a waste, and how thermal bridging at windows can undo expensive upgrades.
Avoiding skylights: alternatives that deliver light without heat loss in winter or overheating in summer.

Charlotte’s message was clear — every detail counts, and the smallest changes in layout, form, or window choice can add up to major gains in comfort and performance.

Penny Calder – Instinct Interiors & AD Library

Interior Designer

Penny’s session shifted the focus indoors, showing how performance principles extend beyond walls and rooflines. Her emphasis was on the value of bringing interior designers into the process early — ideally at the concept or developed design stage, not after consent is lodged.

She highlighted:

Functional flow and detailing: ensuring layouts work in practice, from bathroom plumbing to kitchen window heights.
Window treatments: planning for curtains and blinds during design, to avoid awkward installations and improve thermal performance.
Material choices: weighing cost vs. durability and performance — knowing where to invest and where to economise.
Integrated design meetings: getting architects, builders, trades, and interiors together early to avoid reactive, last-minute fixes.

Her examples from local projects — including collaborations with MA Building — illustrated how aesthetic ambitions and performance goals can work hand-in-hand, and how small early adjustments can save thousands later.

Catherine McGregor – Pro Clima NZ

Airtightness & Vapour Control Specialist

Catherine took a deep dive into the science of airtightness, vapour control, and moisture management — making complex building physics understandable (and even entertaining).

Key takeaways from her talk included:

The “four controls” of a building envelope: water, air, vapour, and thermal.
Why airtightness matters: it underpins thermal performance, prevents moisture damage, and improves comfort.
Vapour control done right: the wrong product in the wrong place can cause more harm than good.
Variable vapour membranes: products like Intello that adapt to conditions, allowing drying when needed and blocking moisture when not.
Blower door testing: verifying airtightness before lining goes on, so leaks can be fixed while it’s still easy.

Catherine’s message was pragmatic: airtightness is not about “sealing the house so you can’t breathe” — it’s about controlling where and how air moves, so moisture doesn’t destroy your home from the inside out.

Mark Anderson – MA Building

Builder & Passive Home Expert

Mark wrapped up the evening with real-world lessons from a recent performance home in Northlake. Using energy modelling, he showed how small, low-cost “1% details” — such as improved framing layouts, thermal break battens, and airtight service cavities — can transform a home’s comfort and efficiency.

Highlights from Mark’s case study:

Form factor & cost: how simpler shapes reduce both build cost and heat loss.
Thermal bridging: why reducing unnecessary framing timber improves insulation performance.
Ventilation systems: MVHR units that pre-warm fresh air for year-round comfort at minimal running cost.
Energy use & running costs: the Northlake home stays between 20–22°C with minimal heating, even in winter, for a fraction of typical power bills.
Overheating prevention: designing for shading and orientation to avoid summer discomfort.

Mark’s central point: performance doesn’t have to mean excessive cost — it’s about smart design choices, spending where it counts, and avoiding “lipstick on a pig” upgrades that ignore fundamentals.

Tell Me About Your Project

A Night that Proved the Momentum is Building

The evening was more than a technical deep dive — it was a showcase of collaboration in action. From architectural design to airtightness, from interior detailing to on-site execution, the talks reinforced that the best homes are the result of early, integrated decision-making.

With standing-room-only attendance and engaged discussion well into the Q&A, it’s clear that the interest in energy efficiency, sustainable building, and high-performance homes is stronger than ever.

The message from all four speakers was unanimous: