RT @buildbetternz: Arthur Grimes from @moturesearch writes about his team's research release into wellbeing and quality of life across New…

A Passive House in Paris, a compact abode in Arrowtown and an uber-efficient home at the foot of the Remarkables: these three houses were designed to be kind:

"Like all technology, the tool is designed to be disruptive – to challenge and contest the idea of business as usual in urban planning practices." Researchers from @UCNZscience tell us about their free, web-based tool:

The @NZIArchitects Auckland Spring series starts next week, covering topics from social media’s influence on design to creating a sense of place in Antarctica. Check out the full line up and register here:

"How I see it [when you’re cut off from your culture] is probably the poorest that you can get. What really drives me is reconnecting our cultural identities to our career pathways and to other avenues in our communities."

“The shapes reference elements of Matisse, Le Corbusier’s birds and Basquiat’s crowns...and some dinosaurs and sharks are thrown in there, too, because who doesn’t like dinosaurs and sharks?” Phil Redmond on the hand-drawn screens in Rhodes House:

“For Māoridom, it all starts with the earth, drawing attention to and recognising the value of the earth." Architect Hamish Shaw tells how he blended Māori and Christian symbolism in this Christchurch Chapel:

Melanie McDaid of Sloane and Peach shares her opinion about the designs for the new tower planned for 65 Federal Street and about what's next for Auckland:

Watch Andy Florkowski of @RCG_Limited's highlights from his recent trip to Tokyo and LA with Dulux DIAlogue on Tour:

More highlights from the @NZIArchitects Festival of Architects. Design competitions, pop-up parks, open studios and more:

Have you heard? We've teamed up with @bigstreetbikers to give one Auckland firm a chance to test electric bikes for their company. Fill out our short survey – be sure to include your company – and you'll be entered to win.

Get a deeper insight into the design of Westfield Newmarket – the $790 million redevelopment of 277 Broadway – and a look at the future of shopping centre design:

“Ultimately, the combination of all the elements have meant that the house has surpassed the clients’ desire for a sustainable home, which is virtually off the grid for most the year.” An eco-friendly design by @__CplusC__ :

Chief Executive of @EngineersNZ – one of the founding organisations behind The Diversity Agenda – talks about how we can start to shift the dial in favour of diversity:

Condon Scott Architects responded to the three unique vistas – Black Peak, Treble Cone and Lake Wanaka – on this site, with a design that fronted the view and didn’t compete with it, in a style that ties in with the landscape and history of the area.

“I don’t like the words ‘fun’ and ‘playful’,” she says. “I would say maybe it’s a little punk or avant-garde,” says @kellywearstler:

See what happens when artist and designer Gidon Bing collaborates with @mrbigglesworthy on their new design and gallery space: Good Form

The @NZIArchitects has named 48 finalists from across the country for the New Zealand Architecture Awards. See the full list:

"There is a sense of rightness, of belonging, that some houses manage to capture and this collection of pavilions on a waterfront site in Pauanui does just that." Read about this ocean home by Peddle Thorp:

Architect Shaun Carter of @CWarchitects says of this project, "You engage more with this home as a building, as a physical structure. You get a sense of how the [parts come] together; you can see it, feel it and understand it.”