Sustainable Builders Yak

Send us Fan MailSome certified Passive House homes feel sterile, and some award-winning biophilic homes are uncomfortable to live in. Architect Talina Edwards asks why we can't have both. Talina is director at Envirotecture based out of Ballarat, Victoria and designed one of Australia's early Passive House projects, in Trentham.Talina explains biophilic design as more than timber and pot plants. For her it's a way of designing that calms the nervous system, through daylight, natural materials, views and a connection to the outdoors. She traces how healthy home design has moved from single glazed mass and glass solar passive houses to building science, natural materials and embodied carbon, and why Passive House gave her clients certainty.For builders, she has three messages: build smaller, get the thermal envelope right, and have a proper ventilation strategy. Simon and Brian push on who is liable when mechanical ventilation gets value-managed out and the blower door test comes back tight. The conversation also covers why thermal mass is often overrated in cold climates, and how AI might change the architect's role.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSWhy thermal mass is overrated in cold climates, and why insulation and airtightness matter moreGetting shading right all year, not just at the solsticesHow Talina uses PHPP modelling to show clients and builders what cutting under-slab insulation will cost themMechanical ventilation as an appliance, like a washing machine, and who is liable when it gets cutHow Talina sizes up a builder in the first meeting, starting with how they react to glazing requirementsCHAPTERS0:00 - Welcome, and growing up in Eltham2:27 - Architecture school, and what graduates don't learn10:07 - From solar passive to Passive House and biophilic design15:15 - Stress, light and why we crave the outdoors23:42 - Envirotecture's work and finding Passive House25:59 - Designing the Trentham Passive House, Owl Woods Passive House30:55 - Shading, insulated floors and the thermal mass myth36:03 - Talina's three rules for builders38:06 - Sizing up a builder, and cutting under-slab insulation43:23 - Blower door tests, and who's liable when ventilation is cut47:29 - Ventilation options and air quality monitoring51:25 - Passive House, active owner54:58 - AI and the future of architecture1:01:13 - Quick-fire questionsLEARN MOREEnvirotecture: https://www.envirotecture.com.auSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailHow far behind is Australian construction? In Switzerland, carpenters build every timber house in a digital model before it reaches site. Colin Frei spent twelve years there, went from labourer to carpentry apprentice, and then did six years of further study in timber construction. He's now back in the Adelaide Hills running his own carpentry business. Colin explains how Swiss carpenters with advanced training act as the "General Practitioner" of a timber build. They take the architect's drawings plus the engineering, building physics, acoustic and fire reports, and turn them into a structure that works. Simon and Brian compare that with Australia, where carpenters usually arrive once the design is locked and builders are rarely brought in early.The conversation covers what sustainable timber really means, from Swiss forestry law to protecting timber from moisture so it lasts. Colin walks through a vapour-permeable wall build-up with a ventilated cavity, and argues builders should own the 3D modelling on mass timber jobs because they carry the liability. He also points to one thing Australia does better: tradies who can read a plan and solve problems on the spot.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSThe Swiss carpentry pathway, from apprenticeship to foreman and site manager (Polier) training, and the 40-hour exam at the endBuilding physicists and the Minergie standard, and why Colin says Passive House is just building physicsA timber wall build-up that keeps moisture out: vapour control layer, heat recovery ventilation, wood fibre and a ventilated cavityWhy the builder, not each manufacturer, should do the 3D model on a mass timber projectBrian's warning that Australia's codes will be "written in mould" unless builders get better trainingCHAPTERS0:00 - Welcome: from Brisbane to Swiss timber chalets4:43 - How Swiss carpentry training works, from apprentice to Polier10:03 - The carpenter as the GP of a timber build12:18 - How Australia compares, and where Colin fits19:36 - Prefab, and building the whole house digitally first21:11 - Building physicists, Minergie and Passive House26:11 - What sustainable timber really means, and when CLT makes sense32:08 - A Swiss timber wall build-up that keeps moisture out34:54 - Ventilated cavities and codes "written in mould"36:42 - Australia's biggest quick win: planning and education40:40 - What proper pre-construction looks like here45:06 - Digital twins, and who should own the 3D model50:26 - Is Australia heading for leaky building syndrome?53:14 - What Australia does better than Switzerland56:24 - Why Colin joined the SBA, and his dream project1:00:11 - Quick-fire questionsLEARN MOREInLigno Timber Construction: https://www.inligno.com.au/Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when you put hemp into a structural brick?Will Stewart, director and co-owner of Natural Brick, joins us to unpack how his team is rethinking one of the most familiar building products around, from what goes into the mix to how it performs once it hits the wall.Natural Brick’s current brick uses hemp grown in NSW, making up around 45–50% of the mix by volume. Rather than being kiln-fired, the bricks are naturally cured using solar heat over an eight-week process. The result is a load-bearing single-skin brick that has achieved an unconfined compressive strength of more than 11 MPa, with recent testing closer to 15 MPa, and an impressive 180/180/180 fire resistance result.Will gets into the practical details builders and architects actually want to know: how the brick handles moisture, salt attack and weathering, why it needs to be laid dry, what the long curing time means for project planning, and where the current carbon assessments fall short.We also get into the more experimental side of Natural Brick, from algae-based bricks and bricks made from construction waste to furniture made from recycled stone and even a bone terrazzo table.And then there’s the custom work. Natural Brick has developed an in-house mould-making process that can bring a custom curved brick mould down from a typical five-figure setup to around $1,200, while allowing moulds to be reused across projects.It’s a conversation about what happens when you take a conventional building product, question how it’s made, and start looking at waste, materials, manufacturing and performance differently.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSHow Natural Brick makes a structural brick using around 45–50% hemp by volumeWhy Natural Brick uses solar curing instead of kiln firing or mechanical curingThe testing behind the product, including 11+ MPa compressive strength and a 180/180/180 fire resistance resultWhat builders need to know about moisture, durability, weathering and laying the bricksHow custom curved brick moulds can be made for around $1,200 rather than a typical five-figure setupThe reality of measuring embodied carbon, including the limitations of current assessment processesWhat Natural Brick is experimenting with next, including algae and construction-waste bricksInside the furniture studio, where recycled stone, industrial by-products and even animal bone become new materialsCHAPTERS0:00 - Meet Will Stewart and how Natural Brick began1:58 - Building schools in Kenya, and what it taught him6:10 - Back to bricks: why mud bricks didn't work7:36 - The Lutyens brick and its long format9:50 - How the brick is actually made12:14 - Switching to hemp, and why it works better13:49 - Solar curing instead of a kiln14:29 - Inside the mix: hemp, sand, cement, fly ash, pigment17:27 - The carbon numbers and the Think Brick study20:10 - Where carbon assessment falls short21:32 - Compressive strength and the 180/180/180 fire result23:01 - Vapour permeability, moisture and laying dry24:54 - Thermal performance and R-value27:06 - R&D: the algae brick and construction-waste bricks36:59 - A curved apartment project, and reusing moulds42:19 - Weathering, sealing and cleaning without acid46:38 - What's next, and the furniture side54:39 - The biggest constraint, and getting to low carbon56:05 - QuickfireABOUT THE GUESTWill Stewart is director and co-owner of Natural Brick, a New South Wales maker of handmade, hemp-based masonry. He came to bricks after around six years building schools in Kenya and Uganda, then a stint in beverage sales, and now runs the business with two co-owners out of a solar-powered factory in Warragamba, at the foot of the Blue Mountains.LEARN MORENatural Brick: https://naturalbrick.com.auSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailMost climate conversations in sport start with the elite game. Tom Campbell starts with the clubrooms: a grassroots footy club whose power bill dropped from $9,000 a year to $900, with the $8,000 difference going straight back into the club.Brian and Simon are joined by Tom Campbell, co-founder of Footy for Climate, which he started while playing at North Melbourne, in the season the Black Summer bushfires filled the training track with smoke. Its Power Forward program puts solar and battery systems onto community footy clubs so the savings stay in the community game.Most of the hour lands on the part builders will recognise: the clubrooms are owned by councils, the tenants pay the bills, and almost nobody is funded to fix them. Campbell is blunt that climate action has to save money before a club or council will touch it, which is the same case builders make for efficiency, insulation and retrofit every day. The conversation also gets into what the savings unlock, from concussion screening at community level to why a changing climate is already moving the fixture.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSPower Forward, and what solar plus battery does to a community club's power billWhy councils own the clubrooms, and why that is the hardest part to solveWhy solar on its own no longer stacks up, and what winter footy does to the numbersWhat the savings unlock, including concussion screening at community levelThe $20 million that would retrofit 220 Victorian clubs and save $3.5 million a yearCHAPTERS0:00 - Meet Tom Campbell, and why Black Summer started Footy for Climate4:07 - Offsetting player flights, and why that model stopped7:10 - Power Forward, and a club power bill from $9,000 to $90011:24 - The council owns the clubrooms, so how does a club get solar?15:16 - Why solar alone no longer stacks up without a battery18:48 - What the savings unlock, beyond the carbon24:34 - Is the AFL on board, and does it fund the work?26:49 - Mandatory reporting, and the clubs already moving31:16 - Having a climate conversation inside a footy club35:32 - An open chequebook, and the $20 million Victoria needs39:17 - Concussion, and neuropsych screening at community level41:22 - Five years out, and 500 clubs by 203043:25 - What players know, and the media training behind it47:42 - Climate is already moving the fixture50:15 - What keeps you going when progress is slow53:05 - QuickfireABOUT TOM CAMPBELLTom Campbell is co-founder of Footy for Climate, which he started over five years ago while playing at the North Melbourne Football Club. He played 14 years of AFL across Melbourne, St Kilda, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs before retiring in 2026. Footy for Climate began by offsetting player flights and now runs Power Forward, a program putting solar and battery systems onto grassroots footy clubs so the savings can go back into the community game.LEARN MOREFooty for Climate: https://footyforclimate.org.auSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailAustralia is the seventh most forested country on earth, yet it imports around $5 billion more timber than it sells, and the gap grows every year. Matt de Jongh, a forester of about 25 years and now with Responsible Wood, the body behind timber certification in Australia and New Zealand, explains how that happened. His blunt version: at home, we have run out of wood.Most of the conversation digs into what "sustainably managed" actually means on the ground. Matt breaks down the difference between certified and uncertified timber, how the "no deforestation" rule works when trees are still being cut, and why independent third-party auditing, not a landholder's word, is what sits behind a Responsible Wood or PEFC label.From there it turns political. Matt argues that ending native forest logging in Victoria and WA has pushed demand onto Tasmania and onto imports from countries with weaker rules, and he uses the Pilliga koala population as his example of what happens after active management stops. The episode also covers mass timber, the carbon locked inside a timber product, and why architects keep coming back to wood.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSWhy the seventh most forested country still imports about $5 billion more timber than it exportsWhat "no deforestation" actually means: permanent land-use change, not selective harvest and regrowthCertified vs uncertified timber, and how independent auditing backs a Responsible Wood or PEFC labelThe Pilliga koala argument, and what Matt says happened after a managed forest became a national parkMass timber, stored carbon and the case for building in woodCHAPTERS0:00 - Meet Matt de Jongh, and the science of forestry4:33 - What "sustainably managed" actually means5:17 - Plantations, native forests and how thinning works7:33 - "No deforestation" defined, and who checks it13:22 - Forest certification, PEFC and Responsible Wood18:25 - Certified vs uncertified timber, and the illegal logging laws24:08 - Why timber is the ultimate renewable, and biogenic carbon26:55 - The forests that aren't certified, and small landholders30:25 - WA's gum plantations and the scheme that planted in the wrong place35:05 - The $5 billion question: a forested country that still imports timber39:12 - A shrinking forest estate and the housing crisis43:24 - Engineered timber, mass timber and traceability46:17 - Is there a fix, and why it is political49:09 - Victoria, Tasmania and the media story51:19 - The Pilliga, koalas and what happens when management stops1:05:47 - The silver bullet: procurement and wood encouragement policies1:11:15 - QuickfireABOUT THE GUESTMatt de Jongh is a forester with around 25 years in the industry, from operational forestry across New South Wales to policy roles with the Australian government, and he is a director of Forestry Australia. He now works with Responsible Wood, the standards body that runs forest and chain-of-custody certification in Australia and New Zealand and represents PEFC locally.LEARN MOREResponsible Wood: https://www.responsiblewood.org.au Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailAustralia's National Construction Code climate zones and NatHERS and PHPP models built on them, are calculated from climate averages that are no longer holding. When Brian raises this, Monash University climate scientist Ailie Gallant stops and admits it's a gap: she hadn't considered the building code angle, and says she'll take it back to her team to look into.The bulk of the episode is a plain-language climate science primer, delivered without jargon by someone who does this for a living. Ailie explains the greenhouse effect as a window that different gases open and close, walks through carbon dioxide moving from 280 to 432 parts per million, and puts that in context: roughly a 55% increase in eighty to a hundred years, where comparable past shifts took millions. She also explains why the scientific consensus holds despite researchers actively trying to discredit each other's work.For builders and designers, the practical content is in what comes next. Ailie sets out the regional picture: drier winters and more time in drought across southern Australia, hotter and more humid up north, fewer cyclones but more intense ones, and rainfall arriving in short violent bursts rather than steadily, which is a drainage problem before it's anything else. She's also cautiously optimistic: the worst emissions scenarios modelled a decade ago now look unrealistic, and the conversation lands on two to three degrees rather than five or six.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSWhether NCC climate zones will shift and why a 100 year house in Melbourne might need to be built for central New South Wales"This is not our new normal, this is our changing normal" why updating the code once won't be enoughCarbon dioxide from 280 to 432 parts per million: a 55% jump in a century, where past shifts took millions of yearsHotter and drier down south, hotter and more humid up north, and cyclones that come less often but hit harderRain arriving in short violent bursts instead of steadily: a drainage problem waiting to happenLEARN MOREMonash University: Ailie Gallant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ailie-gallant-b36839a9/ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century: https://www.21centuryweather.org.au/Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailAndy Marlow's definition of efficiency in passive house and airtightness will annoy some people: it's doing the bare minimum required to clear the hurdle, which he says is much the same as being really bloody lazy. Andy is a director at Envirotecture, a long-time passive house advocate and former Australian Passive House Association board member — and he thinks the industry's obsession with beating its own numbers is costing builders money for no measurable gain.The core of the conversation is where the point of diminishing returns actually sits for high performance. Once a building is genuinely airtight, the model becomes predictable (you can't model a sieve) and that predictability is what lets you cut back everything else. Andy walks through the UK apartment work presented at the Passive House Conference where parts of the building are deliberately built worse than code because the form factor absorbs it, the concrete footings nobody needs to perfect, and the one thing you can never compromise on: condensation risk.Brian makes the same case from the other direction — that a decade of chasing certified air-tightness is what teaches you how much performance you can buy for far less. They get into the airtightness arms race between builders, the bloke who hit 0.06 and probably wasted his weekends doing it, achieving 2 ACH cheaply through the plasterboard line, and whether a tiered certification pathway would drag the volume market across the line. Andy also explains the relaunch of Passive House Design & Construct as pre-designed-only homes — the same logic applied to design fees.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSAn educated way to cut corners.The airtightness arms race — 0.6 versus 0.5 versus the 0.06 warehouse, and where the ego takes over from the engineeringCondensation risk as the one thing you don't get to compromise, and Andy's caution on loosening airtightnessLow Energy Building as the sensible tier down, and why a 300mm-plus wall isn't always financially saneHealth, comfort and longevity as the real product — "no one cares about energy efficiency"Applying the same logic to design: the relaunch of Passive House Design & Construct as pre-designed homes you can't modifyLEARN MOREEnvirotecture: https://www.envirotecture.com.au/Passive House Design & Construct: https://passivhausdc.com.au/Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailKyle Zanetto lost close to $400,000 in a single year working eighty-hour weeks. Luke Davies sat $75,000 in overdraft with a maxed-out mortgage and had to sell his house. Both now run successful Tasmanian building companies — and together founded Future Builder to stop other builders repeating their mistakes.The core of the conversation is what sits between a good builder and a profitable building business: markup versus margin, estimating bottlenecks, recovering overheads, and how business structure determines the numbers. As Luke puts it, if someone tells you what your markup should be, they don't know your business.Kyle explains how a 30-point client questionnaire now filters roughly fifty leads down to two, and why that shift — not cost-cutting — is what protects quality.They also walk through Future Builder itself: the asset library, the courses, the Monday masterminds, and Alfie, the AI business companion Luke has been building for nine months that runs a 104-point health check across six business pillars and connects to Xero. The conversation moves into lean methodology on site, burnout and why builders won't ask for help, suicide in the industry, and what each of them would change in the NCC if given one shot.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSHow a builders markup can make or break a business — and the difference between markup and net profitKyle's 30-point client entry questionnaire: open-book negotiated tenders, 30% cash, and turning down 48 of 50 leadsLuke's approach to saying yes to the right job even when the schedule is fullAlfie, the AI business companion: business life stages from start-up to prime, the 104-point health checkLean methodology on the building site — spaghetti maps, rework, and the triple hit to the bottom lineBurnout, self-awareness and hustle culture: the routines to business owners use to keep operating at high loadLEARN MOREFuture Builder: https://www.futurebuilder.co/Zanetto Builders: https://www.zanettobuilders.com.au/Davies Construction: https://www.daviesconstruction.com.au/Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.au

Send us Fan MailMost builders are more exposed than they realise, and usually find out at the worst possible moment. In this episode, Daniel Webber of Webber Insurance, a broker who specialises in complex construction risk, walks through the cover a builder actually needs and what each policy really does.The core of the conversation is the essentials — home warranty, contract works material damage, and public liability — then the covers builders routinely underestimate: statutory liability, professional indemnity, cyber, and key-person. Daniel is direct about where the gaps sit and why assuming you're covered is an expensive habit.It also digs into the traps: worker-to-worker claims where an injured sub's insurer comes after the builder, insuring the existing structure on renovations, and how blown-out project values or timelines can quietly void a claim. The throughline is simple — more insurance isn't always the answer, but understanding your cover, running an annual health check, and getting your subcontractor contracts right are non-negotiable.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSThe three core policies every residential builder needs — and what each actually coversWhy home warranty protects the homeowner, not the builder, and how your limit is tied to your financesWorker-to-worker claims: how an injured subcontractor's insurer comes after the builderStatutory liability, and why public liability won't cover SafeWork fines or investigationsProfessional indemnity for builders — and the "design and construct" element people missInsuring the existing structure on renovations, and the home-insurance chat to have with clientsWhy fixing your subcontractor contracts is the single biggest risk lever a builder hasLEARN MOREWebber Insurance: https://www.webberinsurance.com.auSustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYThe Sustainable Builders Alliance

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Ben Bardon, CEO of the National Australian Apprenticeships Association (NAAA), shares his journey from working as a painter and decorator to becoming one of Australia's leading voices on apprenticeships, skills development, and workforce planning. The conversation explores the challenges facing the construction industry, including labour shortages, apprenticeship completion rates, skills pathways, and the growing demand for qualified tradespeople needed to meet Australia's housing and infrastructure targets. The discussion dives into the realities of the apprenticeship system, examining how young people enter the trades, the role of schools and vocational education, and the barriers preventing more Australians from pursuing construction careers. Ben also unpacks the impact of migration, government incentives, workforce participation, and industry culture, while highlighting practical solutions to improve apprenticeship outcomes, attract more women into the trades, and build a stronger, more sustainable construction workforce for the future.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Ben's journey from tradesperson and educator to CEO of the National Australian Apprenticeships Association  The state of apprenticeships and workforce shortages in the Australian construction industry  Why apprenticeship commencements and completions are struggling to keep pace with demand  School pathways, vocational education, and helping young people discover careers in the trades  The role of migration, government incentives, and workforce planning in addressing skills shortages  Supporting apprentices through training, mentoring, and industry pathways  Increasing female participation and creating more inclusive construction workplaces  The future of Australia's construction workforce and the challenge of delivering enough skilled tradespeopleLEARN MORENAAA: https://www.naaa.com.au/about-us Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA): https://www.thesba.com.auBROUGHT TO YOU BYThe Sustainable Builders Alliance