SIPS.NETWORK

You may have heard about the highly anticipated updates to H1, a segment of the building code that focuses on energy efficiency. These updates primarily address insulation, windows, and other related details. H1 has long lagged behind international standards, leaving New Zealanders in perilously sub

I sometimes look at how we build houses here and can't help my self noticing the similarities with standing up a tent. You know the feeling when you wake up in early morning in a tent and touch the wet surface... Hey not much different in a standard NZ home? Built to building code! With our ar

This was a challenging project. Mostly challenged during the design process by design team, procurement team and also funding teams... but it wasn’t challenging during the build or now when everything is completed. At the end of the day SIPs made good sense for everyone involved. Now everyone feel

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/damienmcgill_tapeboy-windowsanddoors-waterproof-activity-6794706180175491072-WUFE Great initiative from a SIP supplier, workshop installing the panels, taking care at the joints, protecting and applying the tapes from ProClima...

At VILA.nz I received many requests through the years, for pre-designed homes. Basically people asking for a design that would cost less, combining lots of knowledge from various projects and summing it into one "perfect" one! I always had reservations for pre-designed plans, simply because plac

Here is another great example of smart SIP architecture... https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=4wZQikN1ugM

..built by experienced builder, Designed by passioned architect... There must be north of 300 SIP builds around the country.. lets look them up!

Here is a nice infographic I found, listing main benefits of SIPs. R value on this content is American R value... but still helpful. Here is conversion if you need it = R(si) = R(imp)/5.678263

How are you coping with high temperatures? Sun-gain is great, but what if it gets too hot? This summer I had an opportunity to visit one of the most iconic architecture in the world. Check some photos of Barcelona Pavilion below and how well shaded is the interior. Not to mention this building was

Since the launch of SIPS.NETWORK I have received a number of emails and technical enquires, but many of those I received privately. I just wanted to encourage you to raise these questions on the network so that a relevant answer can be established. Our experience vary and while I personally collabor

Location / Island Bay, Wellington Designer / Peter Davis @ AD Architecture Builder / David Reid Homes Wellington Structural Engineering / Certa Floor area / 76m² Sustainable features • Insulation (higher value walls floors and ceilings) • Windows (double glazed with thermal break, Low E glass an

One day its all going to make sense.. great work happening up north. Follow the build progress, blog written by the homeowners “to be”… documenting every step of building their new SIP home, while being very much involved in every step. https://903westcoastroad.weebly.com/build-diary/and-lockdo

Another enquiry into SIPs and electrical: "I would like to use ultra thin LEDs, but I keep reading that I should go with surface mounted LED strips and not recessed. Are there any new LED products out there that would work for recessed? I'm putting in 1.5" T&G prior to SIP roof, so hoping that would

Renowned architect, my professor in Europe, maybe 2005. Flat roof in EU was a little like Parapet walls in NZ. Or "No-Eave" design! He explained that all his large buildings in Germany, all his flat roofs work 100%. Outside Germany some seam to leak! And than he showed us the photo of a contractor

According to recent issue of BUILD MAGAZINE!!! https://www.buildmagazine.org.nz/assets/ebooks/B182/Build182.html Finally admitting timber studs are just too much of an issue in conventional timber framed buildings. Suggested solution is having a double frame to overlap layers of insulation and m

Some well anticipated progress on SIPs in NZ. Acknowledgement and well needed attention from the country’s largest testing and research entity in NZ, Branz! https://youtu.be/no87ihYllsA

Say 10 years back, there was very little talk about performance of houses, insulation, passive house, passive solar etc. and I remember starting such conversations at every possible opportunity. Visiting builders on site, chatting with friends at a Cafe, designers/architects at conferences... How

I guess the more you learn about building the more concerned you become about everything that is involved. The more problems you see on site the more cynical you become and it can happen that you just don't see how things can get better. This happened to me. I was walking around building sites and

I am wondering which is better, overhang the SIP panel or frame it with timber?

There are many projects around the country that deserve a mention. Lots of effort in making Kiwi families live in comfortable, healthy and exciting homes. Here is a great example of a close collaboration, even a partnering between experienced professionals in order to make things happen. I was per

I thought we could discuss how much it costs us to heat a SIP home. I know this doesn't only depend of the fact that you select SIPs for you building envelope, but anyway... it is still the right way to compare and learn how much better it is. I was always a 'believer' in SIPs... but until I build m

Timber price is going up around the world. Years back there was also a big disruption to OSB board production, due to big fires in North America. However... OSB board is simply much more efficient use of timber and has therefor been quite stable and reliable source of building material. Common mis

I found a really interesting article... https://www.sips.org/technical-information/r-values-in-the-real-world Did you know R-value in Fiberglass drops when it gets cold? and this is due to air-infiltration Did you know R-value in EPS increases when it gets cold? Only ever so slightly,

So the question was raised and I think this topic is critical. Some will have their own experience building a SIP house, some will only have an opinion. Its probably also a question of what do we compare... SIP house and conventionally build to-code-min timber framed house? But bottom line... is i

Here is a question received by a member: What would the warmer floor sip panels on piles or concrete with polystyrene under concrete. Or do you place the floor sip panels on top of a concrete slab. I have to be 450mm above ground for 100 year flood. How can I find out the best solution. Options op

Affordable Housing I believe that everyone and every built should be energy-efficient so when we talk about affordable housing what I’m most concerned about is that the first thing that we seem to tick-off the list and compromise on is the actual performance of those affordable houses. I think

This is where SIPs really shine. One of the most important things about the building envelope is the for the insulation layer to be continuous. Minimum thermal bridging = good building envelope. And from then on it makes control of temperature and internal moisture a much simpler task. Photo below

Do you need ventilation for SIP houses? Is it a problem if the house is very air tight?

There is a lot of talk about the R-value and calculations about how much insulation you really need. But I would like to hear it from the homeowners and how it really feels on a cold winter morning...