Building Physics That Actually Makes Sense
You know that feeling when someone says "building physics" and your eyes glaze over? Yeah, we're not doing that.
Building physics is just a fancy name for understanding how your building actually works — how heat moves, where moisture goes, why some homes feel amazing and others feel like they're actively trying to kill you. After 15+ years testing hundreds of homes and commercial spaces across New Zealand, I can tell you this: most buildings are designed like they're going to sit in a controlled lab, not the real world where it rains sideways and your subfloor floods every winter.
Here's the thing — building physics isn't complicated. It's just physics. But the industry loves to wrap it in jargon and sell it like magic. It's not. It's science, and it's fixable.
What Building Physics Actually Covers
When we talk about building science consulting in NZ, we're really talking about three things:
1. Thermal Performance — Does your building keep the heat in (or out) when it's supposed to? Are your walls doing their job, or are they just expensive cardboard?
2. Moisture Control — Where is water vapour going? Where is bulk water going? If you don't know the answer to both, you've got a mould problem waiting to happen.
3. Airtightness — Your building envelope should stop air leaking in random, uncontrolled ways. Drafts aren't character. They're a design failure.
We measure it, model it, and fix it. Whether it's airtightness testing, thermal bridge analysis, or energy modelling, we're here to tell you what's actually happening — not what the marketing brochure promised.
What We Actually Do
We run the tests, crunch the numbers, and tell you what's broken (and how to fix it):
Airtightness Testing — We'll test your building with a blower door and show you exactly where the air is leaking. Residential or commercial, new build or retrofit.
Thermal Bridge Analysis — We model how heat moves through your building envelope so you can fix thermal bridges before they turn into condensation nightmares.
Energy Modelling — We build a digital twin of your building and show you how it performs thermally, so you can meet code, hit Passive House targets, or just stop wasting money on heating.
Condensation Risk Assessment — We'll tell you if your wall is going to grow mould in five years. Spoiler: it probably is, unless you fix the design.
Passive House Certification — We'll guide you through PHPP modelling, verification, and certification — because Passive House isn't just good marketing, it's good physics.
When NOT to Hire Us
Here's the part no one else will tell you: if your building is already performing well and you just want a rubber stamp, we're probably overkill. If you're looking for someone to fudge numbers to make compliance easier, you're talking to the wrong person. We do the science. The honest science.
Get in Touch
Need a building science consultant in NZ who'll actually explain what's going on (and not try to sell you magic beans)? Give us a shout. We work across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, and anywhere else you've got a building that needs fixing.
And no — your house doesn't need to "breathe." It needs an airtight envelope and controlled ventilation. There's a difference.