Jon Davies looks at a confusing geographical disconnect when describing vapour control, moisture control, vapour control layers and vapour barriers. Did you know that in North American documents, the term vapour barrier might mean our vapour control layer? And if they do use ‘vapour control layer’ they could easily be talking about a vapour barrier?

AI can help us be more efficient, but can it do what we do without us?

A new self-certification scheme for plumbing and drainlaying has implications for the building consent process. Designers need to understand what work is eligible and how it should be documented in consent applications.

Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs) who supervise building work are responsible for its quality and compliance. This article explains supervision requirements, accountability, and how to provide effective oversight.

In designing a surface water drainage solution, you must consider the performance of the design in service. This design must allow for stormwater to be disposed of without causing damage, nuisance, flooding, erosion, or water entry into buildings.

The basic form of a dwelling has remained the same until this current decade. I suggest that now is the time for a fundamental re-think.

Process thinking might be the key to helping you deliver better outcomes.

For specifiers working across Green Star, Homestar and other sustainability frameworks, coatings are no longer a purely technical selection. They are a critical lever in achieving both project performance and certification outcomes.

A residential building’s orientation and its surrounding topography aren’t, and cannot sensibly be, regulated by the NZ Building Code and yet these two factors have very significant effects on the internal thermal performance of each dwelling within the building, no matter if they are terraced or part of an apartment block. The same applies to standalone homes.

I certainly do. 

The easy answer is to charge more. Whether that is for your products or services or by asking your boss for a raise. Of course, reality is much harder than that.