With a growing proportion of our new housing being constructed as medium-density dwellings, this former niche market is rapidly expanding to take in purchasers and occupiers whose primary experience is with the standalone residences they grew up in. This new form of living brings with it a need for a significant degree of re-setting of expectations, both desirable and undesirable.

With potentially thousands of product suppliers needing to provide mandatory information, we need to develop some consensus on how to approach issues so as not to create confusion. In this first blog post in a series on preparing for mandatory product information, I will describe the code and how it relates to products.

Following on from last month’s general thoughts, I consider that there is an urgent need, as an important part of adapting for the future, for the building industry to go back to basics and revaluate the unquestioned assumptions upon which standard design and construction solutions were originally derived from.

While Climate Change is now accepted by most people, the solutions are not as simple as just giving everyone the symbolic electric car or bicycle. As the TV advert advises, “Good Things Take Time”, but also innovative forward planning is essential.

Scott Fisher, Chief Executive, PrefabNZ looks at how offsite manufacturing could help solve NZ's construction waste problem. 

Durability in the NZ Building Code is simple in concept but probably needs more than normal maintenance.

When it comes to the building and construction sector, there is a strong case for collaboration and, taking it a step further, a long-term programme to unify as much as possible our building regulatory systems.

Compliance with NZ Building Code clause H1 (Energy Efficiency) is straightforward for new builds, but for alterations to existing homes it is more complicated and can give unexpected results.

Can we develop new compliance pathways for innovations that respond appropriately to the relative risk of non-compliance but in a cost-effective manner?

For some time now, it has become settled that there is sense in planning for a future where photovoltaic (PV) panels will become a standard feature for new homes and major renovations, even though many owners are not prepared to install them ‘next week’.