& beautiful places
Build Your Super Home
Steve Hughes designs more than just houses - he crafts super homes. These are healthier, high-performance homes that stay warm in winter, cool in summer, and never grow mould. They use minimal energy, embrace sustainable, locally sourced materials, and are designed to uplift and inspire.
With over 25 years of experience in architecture and construction - and specialist Passive House training - Steve is a leader in New Zealand’s movement toward smarter, more sustainable living.
His latest creation – a Passive House Premium-certified home - is a groundbreaking achievement. It’s the smallest Passive House Premium in the world and New Zealand’s only fully off-grid Passive House.
In 2021, Steve and his family embraced their dream, leaving Auckland for the stunning Coromandel Peninsula. There, they built their own beautiful, off-grid Passive House and organic garden, living in harmony with the land.
Steve is more than just an expert - he’s a visionary. Friendly, organised, and deeply creative, he’s ready to bring your dream home to life with cutting-edge design and sustainable innovation anywhere you choose to build in this beautiful country.
Ready to build the future? Let’s make it happen.
Our Work in Action
Services
Steves' qualifications in architecture and experience in construction and project management provide a unique set of skills to resolve design concepts seamlessly into built homes.
Architecture
Where we live, how we live and how we participate with our surrounding environment influences the quality of our lives. Steve combines aesthetics, functionality and sustainability to craft architecture that responds to your vision and budget. Creating a building that integrates into your local environment with a sense of craft, precision, and elegance.
Passive House
Passive House incorporates specific design with the natural environment of your site to make your home a guardian of your health and a monument to sustainability. Through design modelling, the performance of the house can be calculated to provide you a beautiful, comfortable, and energy-efficient home. There is no longer a need to burn fossil fuels to power the spaces where we live, work and play!
Project Management
Offering independent and strategic advice to guide your project from inception through the design, consenting and construction processes, to completion, including procurement of Contractors and Contract administration. Utilising proven project management tools and controls Steve can deliver a viable project both in terms of functionality and budget.
Thinking & Making
Notes from the studio as we design, refine, and build better homes.
The Team
Amy Jane Todd
Wife + Admin, PR, Brand Design
Ruby Hughes
Daughter + Main Motivation
Turbo & Pipi Aroha
Barkers + Cuddlers
BuildGood in the Media
Good design goes beyond looks—it’s about how a space feels and functions every day. Through interviews, podcasts, and short films, Steve shares his experience and ideas on what makes buildings truly sustainable. From conversations with leading voices in sustainable architecture to international coverage of innovative projects, each feature offers an honest look at how thoughtful design can improve the way we live.
Welcome to our world! Steve shares his background and dives into the essential principles of passive house design.
In early 2022, Steve joined Matthew Cutler-Welsh on the Passive House Podcast.
In 2024, Steve talked Simon Cator on the ProClima Podcast to discuss building NZs first off-grid Passive House.
In 2023 for Korean State TV Channel EBS, shot this documentary following Steve’s family as they leave the city to seek happiness in nature.
Memberships
