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Our way of working at Thorne Group is to ‘build with the future in mind’. Under this vision, one of our desires is to create warmer, healthier and drier homes under the Homestar framework. With Jon McAlpine (Principal Thorne Group Architecture), a qualified Homestar Accredited practitioner and assessor this gives our clients the option to have a minimum of a 6 star Homestar accredited home.
What is Homestar?
Homestar was developed for residential homes by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) (a not-for-profit, industry organisation). It is based successful international rating tools and adapted for New Zealand's specific conditions. A 6 Homestar rating or higher provides assurance that a house will be better quality - warmer, drier, healthier and cost less to run - than a typical new house built to building code.
What does this mean in practical terms?
Our Thorne Group showhome has achieved 6 star build accreditation. This is far from a box ticking exercise and requires very specific design, fixtures and fittings compliance. In practical terms, this has translated to the following.
Passive solar energy design
The showhome is optimised for passive solar energy, the local climate and for site conditions to maximise the ultimate home owner’s comfort and health while minimising energy use. ”We are able to achieve this via the correct placement of windows and doors, along with eaves positioned and sized accordingly to manage solar gain throughout the year” says Jon McAlpine, Thorne Group Architecture. The home is situated with northerly aspect and is elongated along the east/west axis. Orientated so that the winter sun can warm up the home, but exterior shading on the northerly side restricts and manages strong solar gains during summer. Homestar guidelines require specific design specifications/calcululations must be achieved to obtain the rating. Alongside the design itself, all the fixtures, fittings and materials have been meticulously thought out and calculated to ensure they comply within Homestar guidelines (some of which are detailed below).
Roof
• Environmental Choice NZ certified long run roof
• Upgraded roof insulation (3.2 R value to 5 R value rating).
Floor and Wall
• Floor is a concrete slab on a rib raft flooring system.
• All Wall and Ceiling plasterboard is GreenTag certified.
• All Soft Thermal Insulation is Environmental Choice NZ or GreenTag Level A certified.
Windows
Planitherm Low E glazing, Planitherm® XN is the best Low-E glass available in New Zealand for double glazed windows. By using an advanced coating on the glass it reflects radiated heat back into the room, capturing free energy
from the heat and light of the sun. Planitherm® XN reduces heat loss by up to 59% compared to standard double glazing.
Bathrooms, kitchen & water
• The shower, bathroom and kitchen taps have all been fitted with water saving devices.
• Bathroom extractor fans have been installed in every bathroom and are ducted to outside
• The kitchen extraction over the hob is ducted to outside.
• WCs are dual flush with no more than 4.5L / 3L cisterns (4 Star WELS rating)
Electrical
• All interior lights are LED or Compact Fluorescent (CFL).
• All Exterior lights are LED, CFL or other lamp type with a minimum efficacy of 40 Lm/W)
Paints
The paint on the main walls is Dulux Environmental Choice NZ certified.
Flooring
• The carpet and wood flooring are certified either Environmental Choice NZ, GreenTag Level A or CIAL-ECS Level 4 certified.
Of special note is the carpets in the bedrooms, a Cavalier Bremworth range called Siren. Created with a 100% regenerated fibre made entirely from recycled synthetics, including fishing nets recovered from oceans around the world.
• The carpet in the lounge is another Cavalier Bremworth carpet made from 100% Sustainable Wool, a 100% sustainable and renewable fibre. This brings with it all the benefits of this natural fibre, by helping regulate humidity.
Additional
• Bike racks are included in the garage for easy storage
• Insulated garage
• EV Charger: A residential Electric Vehicle charging station is installed in the garage. Charges up to 10
times faster than a standard power outlet. *Based on a 22kW wall box
• Heat pump Mitsubishi Electric Split-Air Conditioner. The unique split vane design allows airflow to be customised to suit different areas of the room.
• There is an internal clothes line to help reduce using the drying machine.
• 10% of ground exterior landscaping is planted in natives.
For more information on Homestar Design click here http://www.thornegroup.co.nz/homestar