Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 13 New Zealand | Page 74

Ten out of ten Designed by Bob Burnett Architecture, this sustainable home won the first ever Ten Star Homestar build rating – everything from the glazing and windows to the wood finish played a part Above: Planet friendly – this home features a plethora of green features including PV solar electric, a hot water heat pump, efficient lighting and electrical design, well-above standard floor, wall and ceiling insulation, a power management unit, automated moisture extraction and a grey water system. In addition, Low E Xcel double glazing units were supplied for the project by Metro Performance Glass. The first ten out of ten Homestar-rated house in Christchurch, in the South Island, in fact in the whole country – this ground-breaking claim to fame goes to the contemporary two-storey house by Bob Burnett Architecture featured here. Every factor was addressed to take the house over the history-making, ten-star line. These included energy use, waste disposal, ventilation, health and occupant comfort. Naturally, with any home design, the right glazing has a huge effect on warmth, comfort and overall energy efficiency. However, when the home in question is this spectacularly rated, search | save | share at trendsideas.com the glazing and related elements have to be at the ‘next level’, says Mike Stanford, for Metro Performance Glass, the company that supplied the glazing solution for the greener-than-green residence. “Double glazing has far greater insulating benefits when combined with Argon gas, Low E glass and thermal spacing. We offer all these together with our Low E Xcel unit – and that was the ideal solution here,” says Stanford. Argon is a naturally occurring inert gas. By trapping a measured amount of Argon between the panes of glass and sealing it in, the insulating