Resources
Educational Resources
These resources have been created by Oculus to provide advice and guidance. All resource articles follow international best practices, and are backed by science.
The 20 degree podcast
A building science podcast hosted by Peter Raimondo + Jon Davies, discussing the basics of the building enclosure and how it affects the people inside.
They keep it fun but technical and go on heaps of tangents as they explore the niches and nuances of how to keep the inside in and the outside out.
Webinars
Our team loves to spread knowledge and help educate the industry. Have a look at our pre-recorded webinars and keep an eye out for future events.
If your company or organisation is looking for a personalised webinar or training session, please get in touch.
Educational Resources
Overheating
A deep dive into one of the most relevant topics for summer: Overheating.
We all know the sun in NZ & Australia is super hot, so we are talking about strategies to keep the heat out on sunny days and cooling the interior without needing heaps of air conditioning.
Guest speaker: Jesse Clarke from Pro Clima.
Fire Compliance of Cladding Systems
After researching the fire compliance of cladding in New Zealand since 2017, some may say advice from Oculus is conservative, but they prefer to think of it as design for the safest and best economical outcome.
This document outlines the compliance pathways and advice that follows international best practice.
Precast Concrete
Many people in NZ believe that concrete is the most durable material for the outside of the building. While that may be true in terms of impact resistance and structural strength, there are a lot of other things to consider when using it as cladding rather than structure.
Summer Planning Guide for Home Owners and Renters
We’ve got through the winter, heating our homes to keep us warm, dry and comfortable but as we come into summer we no longer need the comforts of heating but rather cooling. This guide provides some easy advice of what you can do to keep your home or rental property comfortable over the summer months.
Warm Roof vs Cold Roof
New Zealand, home to some of the best things in the world – L&P, the Lord of the Rings, the All Blacks, Mānuka honey, Weetbix (largely protested by the Aussies) etc etc.
But unfortunately there is something that Kiwis’ do not win on the international scale, in fact NZ barely follows international best practice for one of the most significant assets most will ever own – their home. And more specifically the roof that shelters them within their home.
Ventilation systems
Many buildings in NZ are still being built with “natural ventilation” being relied upon to provide adequate fresh air. While this solution may be “acceptable”, it is not actually effective, because it is usually based on hopes and wishes rather than proper engineering design.
Retrofitting Wall Insulation
You’ve heard all of the ads on radio and tv, and you’ve even seen insulation being advertised on social media, and you’re ready to reduce your power bills and spend the money on a nice, warm blanket for your walls. This resource will help you understand insulation and which option is best for your home.
Healthy Home Guide
We already know what acceptable, healthy indoor conditions are. Decades of research has shown a defined range of indoor conditions reduce the risk of adverse health impacts.
This guide explains what a Healthy Home is, why Oculus are trying to achieve it, and what any New Zealander can do to their own house to improve their health.
Healthy Home - Winter Kit
Healthy homes are hugely important to the health of our nation. Whether winter is coming, or has already arrived we all need to work towards having a warm, dry and comfortable home, and these three products won’t break the bank in helping you achieve that.
Healthy Home - Summer Kit
We all know it’s nice to keep warm in winter, but what happens in spring and summer when we can’t get rid of the heat?
Of course you can install an air conditioning unit, or perhaps a heat pump with a cooling function – but not everyone has the means to do this, so here are three cost effective solutions to help keep you and your home, cool, dry and comfortable.
Fire Compliance of Cladding Systems
After researching the fire compliance of cladding in New Zealand since 2017, some may say advice from Oculus is conservative, but they prefer to think of it as design for the safest and best economical outcome. This document outlines the compliance pathways and advice that follows international best practice.
Homestar Version 5
This resource explains the key changes between Homestar Version 4 and the latest Homestar Version 5.
H1 Update - What's Changed?
MBIE are proceeding with updates to acceptable solutions and verification methods to make new builds warmer, drier and healthier and aims to make new homes and buildings more energy efficient.
But what are those changes?
H1 Update - Roofs
As we dive into the nitty gritty of the H1 changes, our first stop is at the roof. What are the changes?
What sort of roof should we be designing, and how do we prevent condensation in our roofs?
H1 Update - Windows
Part three is all about windows, and there has been some great progress for windows with R-Values coming into effect with the H1 changes.
H1 Update - Impact of Slab Edges
Part four of the H1 changes and updates we discuss slab edges and their impacts.
H1 Update - Airtightness
Part five of the H1 changes and updates we discuss airtightness, what is and what isn’t included in the update.
H1 Update - Heating & Ventilation
Part six is all about ventilation & heating, and why this is so important for indoor air quality and occupancy health.
H1 Update - Thermal Bridging
Part seven of the H1 changes we discuss thermal bridges and their importance when considering comfort, condensation control and energy efficiency.
H1 Update - Examples of compliant assemblies
In this resources we dive deeper into some dry and buildable assemblies that can meet all of the new H1 R values.
H1 Update - Costing - No, it doesn't cost more
In this resources we explain how how to build better than just box-ticking and compliant while still sticking to budget.
H1 Changes - Summary
In this resources we summarise the NZBC H1 changes and include everything you need to know about the building enclosure.
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