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 architectural team spread between Europe and NZ,

can't help my self but share a couple of details. I am not saying every home needs to be built using SIP panels, but it sure makes things simpler. www.VILA.nz

If you are happy to invest a bit more effort into framing walls correctly, with multiple layers of insulation, then yes timber framed building is good! Great in fact... but there are many more layers needed, its not going to stop with insulation stuck between thermal bridging / timber studs.

Never one layer of insulation. One between, one perpendicular over... and maybe another one over.

Not every house is a passive house, or a nett zero house, some have nice big windows... but I'll tell you what... every house is comfortable and healthy.

For example; this is how we insulate floor between to levels. Thermally and acoustically..

And some thermal mass in these light weight buildings is critical (screed / concrete). Thermal mass slows the process of cooling and heating... stabilises the interior comfort.

I guess its common sense,

but we only build healthy and comfortable homes!

Never unhealthy homes..

The interesting thing is that building houses in NZ is about twice more expensive than building it in EU. With demand there are efficiencies. So it is up to us architects to demand more and it is up to suppliers to add their expertise into the product they sell. Not just expertise in selling a product... but expertise in the product! Selling insulation products without direct instructions how to use it correctly... is not helping.

Designing SIPs makes life a bit easier. Structural and Insulating panel (SIP) representing a structural and insulation layer, without timber studs/rafters. But you need to design it correctly. Supporting structure, helping SIPs to span further, need to be in a separate layer. Which beautifully creates space for services, heating, ventilation, plumbing, electrical...

Introducing plenty of timber-reinforcing inside the SIP panel, will only go soo far. These timbers will be in tight and air-tight space without much extra effort, but designing things correctly, you can also avoid timber inside the SIPs all together...

There will be timber trimmers on edge of SIPs (on the perimeter of wall and roof), but the rest is continuous insulation. The joints between standard size panels are smaller SIPs, but still continuous insulation.