It seems that finally the problem of summer over-heating of newly built medium-density housing, especially terrace housing, is gaining traction and being noticed by the mainstream media where it is starting to become a subject of public comment and discussion.

There has been a recent trend for council RFIs and requests from specifiers around threshold detailing vs surface water drainage, with confusion around the separation of their functions. Threshold drainage and surface water drainage are designed to perform two different tasks. Here I outline some of the commonly queried situations.

In this post I’d like to explore the concept of price. How important is it? What is a fair price? Will high prices come down?

Understanding and applying Test Standard AS1530.4 — Section 10.12 Permissible Variations to projects can dramatically increase the availability of passive fire stopping solutions.

The word ‘waterproof’ is an absolute term. It means ‘impervious to water’. Stating that a building is almost waterproof does not make sense.

New and amended regulations came into force on 30 September 2024 to better clarify a ‘minor variation’ when it comes to amending a building consent, and a ‘minor customisation’ when it comes to a MultiProof. 

Building consent authorities (BCAs) need to be ‘satisfied on reasonable grounds’ that building work will meet the requirements of the Building Code before they can issue the building consent. This is not always as simple as comparing the plans with the performance requirements of Building Code.

It is estimated that up to 900 homes could be brought to market early, due to the new RDU which aims to de-risk large developments by underwriting construction of residential developments of 30+ homes. 

You would have heard the sayings 'designed to a budget' and 'built to a price', both of which have negative connotations, but surely being 'cost informed' will lead to better design outcomes.

There are a range of approaches to how a low-pitched roof can be designed, it could include an internal gutter and/or drain into a rainwater head and the lowest point, or through a traditional roof drain outlet.