Izodom man on a mission

To improve living standards in NZ, Mike Greulich is encouraging Kiwis to embrace Izodom, a Polish building technology.

MIKE Greulich is on a mission to create warmer, drier homes for New Zealanders. The German-born man discovered just how cold and damp many Kiwi homes were on his arrival here 12 years ago.

And he’s since taken action, becoming the New Zealand agent for low energy and passive house technology, called Izodom.

‘‘I was shocked at how many houses have problems with moisture, coldness, dampness, mold and the lack of heating – energy efficiency is pretty much zero.

‘‘As my friends say when they come to visit, ‘I wouldn’t even put a dog in such a house’, it is pretty bad.

‘‘I believe everyone deserves a good, warm house, that’s why I’ve got into this, and it’s exciting to offer an energy efficient, healthy and affordable option.’’

To improve living standards Greulich is encouraging Kiwis to embrace the Polish-made technology.

‘‘I am passionate about creating better living conditions for Kiwis, and for a fair price, you can build a good, warm home this way and you don’t have to spend a fortune.’’

In a ‘‘normal home’’, Greulich says 10-15 per cent of heat is lost through doors and windows and foundations, another 20-30 per cent through plastering and cladding and another 25-30 per cent via ventilation and the roof.

But these low-energy and passive homes are built with durable, thermal insulation materials in the form of foamed polystyrene blocks with concrete filling.

Almost 100 elements are connected, including foundation slabs, floor slabs, roof slabs and walls, to create a continuous layer of thermal insulation that fit perfectly together.

That, in turn, avoids thermal bridges, or spots where cold and moisture can penetrate a home, and instead heat remains inside the building.

‘‘The process is just like Lego, you put all the blocks together and then you pour the concrete in one go which means there are no joins, and therefore no mould can get in,’’ says Greulich.

The door and window frames are fixed with expansion bolts to the concrete core too, and any gaps are filled with fitting foam.

The roof is well-insulated too, a large-size insulating roof slab used to install tight wooden roof insulation with the rafter structure.

Another use of the slab is to insulate flat roofs and slab roofs of reinforced concrete structure, says Greulich.

The hollow blocks themselves are resistant to frost, humidity, intensive sun radiation and salt and, because they are not an organic material, mildew and mold can’t develop.

Covering external walls with the finishing layer such as plaster, clinker or facade stoneware, the suspended system facades protects them from rodents and insects, and keeps birds from damaging the insulating layer.

The other advantage, says Greulich, is that the strong construction means buildings are earthquake resistant.

And the simple technology results in short build times – six to eight weeks to be exact.

‘‘In Abu Dhabi, a building gang has knocked out a home out in 24 days, a 600-square-metre home.’’

While many Izodom homes have been built worldwide, it’s still a relatively new concept to New Zealand.

Since establishing the New Zealand arm just last November, Greulich has had 25 projects on the go in the lower North Island, and four more are going through the consent process.

The technology can be adapted for any type of building, from single or multi-storey residential structures through to public buildings, swimming pools, factory floors, utility buildings, cold stores, and freezer rooms.