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Low Carbon Design

Products and systems designed to reduce carbon throughout the lifetime of a building.

October 2025

Solar: The Smart Step Toward Grid-Free, Low Carbon Buildings

Meeting Green Star and Homestar Targets with renewable energy.

Techlam Glulam Powers New Zealand’s Largest Mass Timber Office Building

Techlam Glulam Powers New Zealand’s Largest Mass Timber Office Building

This project sets new standards for sustainability in development and construction in New Zealand, targeting a 100% reduction in embodied carbon and six-star Green Star and five-star NABERS ratings.

Coated for a Better Future: ColorCote’s Low Carbon Design

Coated for a Better Future: ColorCote’s Low Carbon Design

At the heart of ColorCote's offering is MagnaFlow, which has a verified footprint of 14.40 kg CO₂-e/m² (0.55mm), and has been used on one of Aotearoa's most ambitious low carbon builds, The Living Pā.

Reclaimed Hardwood Cladding Brings Durability, Warmth and Circularity to Village Green

Reclaimed Hardwood Cladding Brings Durability, Warmth and Circularity to Village Green

The reclaimed Australian hardwood exterior cladding and interior wall linings from LMA provided a natural, low carbon choice that fit with the ethos of this nature-based early learning centre in Auckland.

How Vynco is Lighting the Way with Low Carbon Designs

How Vynco is Lighting the Way with Low Carbon Designs

Whichever way you cut it, reducing carbon is something we should all care about. And Kiwi company Vynco is quietly making progress with its lighting.

Industrial Strength Meets Sustainability: Electric Gate Automation for a Large Commercial Property

Industrial Strength Meets Sustainability: Electric Gate Automation for a Large Commercial Property

A powerful partnership proves that industrial developments can be both secure and sustainable.

Locally Sourced, Lower-Carbon Aluminium: A Practical Path to Lower WOL Carbon

Locally Sourced, Lower-Carbon Aluminium: A Practical Path to Lower WOL Carbon

How Moddex’s shift to locally sourced lower-carbon aluminium helps designers meet MBIE low-carbon goals, backed by third-party certification and clear LCA inputs.

New Zealand Steel: Pioneering Lower-Carbon Steel for the Future of Construction

New Zealand Steel: Pioneering Lower-Carbon Steel for the Future of Construction

New Zealand Steel is on the cusp of a major transformation that will reshape how steel is made locally and how architects can design with sustainability front of mind. At the heart of this shift is a state-of-the-art Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), which will allow steel to be produced with significantly lower carbon emissions.

Build a Deck That Cares for Tomorrow

Build a Deck That Cares for Tomorrow

Looking to create the perfect outdoor space without compromising on style, strength or sustainability? With Proframe Aluminium Deck framing paired with Dasso Ctech Decking, you can build smarter, faster and greener

NZ's Highest Green Star Rated Tertiary Education Building

NZ's Highest Green Star Rated Tertiary Education Building

Behind the award-winning design of B201 lies a quiet revolution in low-carbon construction; and timber is at the heart of it. Through precision manufacturing and the considered use of renewable materials, this landmark university redevelopment demonstrates how thoughtful design choices can meaningfully reduce embodied carbon without compromising architectural integrity.

Greening Our Cities: How Green Roofs Support Low-Carbon Design

Greening Our Cities: How Green Roofs Support Low-Carbon Design

Green roofs are fast becoming a key strategy in sustainable building design, offering both environmental performance and lifestyle benefits.

From Office Block to 7 Homestar Living: A Glimpse into High-Performance Facades

From Office Block to 7 Homestar Living: A Glimpse into High-Performance Facades

Cheops Holdings (a McKee Fehl subsidiary) took on the transformation of 135 Victoria Street into a ground-breaking residential development. The result? 108 apartments, a 7 Homestar rating, and a new benchmark for build-to-rent in Wellington.

How Efaflex Doors Deliver Energy Efficiency and Lifecycle Value

How Efaflex Doors Deliver Energy Efficiency and Lifecycle Value

Efaflex doors incorporate intelligent sensor technology that ensures the shortest possible hold-open times, minimising energy loss and contributing to reduced CO₂ emissions throughout the facility's operation.

Thermally Modified Timber Supporting Low Carbon Residential Design

Thermally Modified Timber Supporting Low Carbon Residential Design

Ebode Homes chose JSC TMT Taiga finished with JSC Scumble to support a high‑performance, low‑carbon show home with exceptional material longevity and climatic resilience.

Advance Flooring Champions Low-Carbon Solutions with Kinetex

Advance Flooring Champions Low-Carbon Solutions with Kinetex

Flooring has always been an essential element of great interior design. It must look good while providing exceptional performance and durability. But gone are the days when this was enough.

BJELIN Woodura Hardened Timber Delivers Low Carbon Luxury for Reserve House

BJELIN Woodura Hardened Timber Delivers Low Carbon Luxury for Reserve House

Reserve House in the Bay of Plenty showcases how BJELIN Woodura Hardened Timber unites the timeless beauty of wood with responsible use of natural resources, delivering verified low carbon performance.

Prolam PLX Range: Engineered Timber for Low-Carbon, High-Performance Design

Prolam PLX Range: Engineered Timber for Low-Carbon, High-Performance Design

Prolam’s innovative range of beams and bracing systems is proving structural timber’s strength as a versatile, cost-effective solution for more liveable, energy-efficient buildings.

Sustainable Drainage Solution for Basement Car Park Ramp at Orakei Luxury Apartments

Sustainable Drainage Solution for Basement Car Park Ramp at Orakei Luxury Apartments

Allproof’s 300mm clear opening commercial channel was selected for its sustainability, product performance and durability features.

Dekton: A Carbon Neutral Surface for Low-Carbon Building Design

Dekton: A Carbon Neutral Surface for Low-Carbon Building Design

Dekton by Cosentino combines design freedom with verified sustainability, offering a surface that is carbon neutral across its entire lifecycle.

Related feature topics:

Technology

A selection of innovative architectural products that utilise state-of-the-art science and clever engineering to make our built environment that little smarter, more efficient, more sustainable.

H1 Energy Efficiency

Energy-saving products that help reduce energy usage and power bills, while minimising the building's environmental footprint.

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