Dr Manfred Plagmann
Dr Manfred Plagmann’s research focuses on a problem many New Zealanders live with but rarely question: what the air inside their homes is doing to their health.
A Principal Scientist at BRANZ, Manfred's expertise spans indoor air quality, ventilation, and energy efficiency. He was part of the team awarded the Rutherford Medal (2021), New Zealand's highest science honour, and served on the IEA's Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre for more than a decade, contributing to international research on ventilation and indoor air quality.
His current research includes HEEP2, a national study of energy use and living conditions, alongside projects investigating mycotoxins in homes, the carbon impact of deep renovation, and more energy-efficient approaches to ventilation. He is also organising the International Building Physics Conference (IBPC) 2027, to be hosted by BRANZ in Wellington – the first time the conference will be held in the Southern Hemisphere.
For Manfred, a house is a complete system: the psychological, social, and health dimensions are as important as the physical materials. "Elegant technical solutions don't solve social problems," he says. This conviction led him to co-found the New Zealand Indoor Air Quality Research Centre, bringing together experts across science, public health, and air quality to advance understanding of the health effects of indoor pollutants.
Manfred's path to building science started on a building site: he began as a builder, studied physics and chemistry, then worked in IT before returning to the building industry – what he calls "a 360-degree turnaround, going back to where I started."
"I want to improve New Zealand's housing so people can live healthier lives. Not in 30 years. Now."
Dr Manfred Plagmann
Principal Scientist
Qualifications
- PhD in Physics, University of Canterbury
- MBA in Management Science, University of Canterbury
- MSc in physics, University of Oldenburg
Industry participation
- NZS 4303 Ventilation standard review, member, 2026
- Housing and Health Research Programme, co-director, Otago University School of Medicine, 2017 – 2025
- International Energy Agency Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC),
- New Zealand representative and board member, 2012 – present
- New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, advisory board member
