Trends New Zealand NZ New Home Trends Vol. 30/4 | Page 98

Green for good
Choosing the green alternative need not cost any more than a standard build.
Three homes specifically designed to meet 6 Homestar criteria are proof
Any perceptions people may
have about the high cost of
building an eco-friendly home
have been put right with the
unveiling of three new homes
in Auckland.
The Axis series of one, two
and three-bedroom homes,
developed by Hobsonville
Land Company, have been
designed to achieve a 6 Homestar rating, and are on the
market for considerably less

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than the median house price.
Homestar, a joint venture
between the New Zealand
Green
Building
Council
(NZGBC) and the Building
Research Association of New
Zealand (BRANZ), is the only
residential rating tool that
evaluates the environmental
attributes and performance
efficiency of houses, townhouses and apartments.
The rating can be used as a

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guide to build greener homes
above the existing building
code, which is an equivalent
4 Homestar rating.
Dana Alexander, Homestar
business development manager, says building to the
higher rating provides longterm benefits in saving energy
and water, thereby reducing
the running cost of the home.
Alexander says 6 Homestar
homes are also warmer, drier

and healthier than homes built
to the existing building code,
and don’t need to cost more.
“Good site orientation is
critical, for example, and that
can be achieved at no extra
cost,” she says.
Sustainable design features
present in the three Axis
homes at Hobsonville Point
include extra ceiling and wall
insulation, slab-edge insulation, heat pump water heating