LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value and is a measure of the amount of visible light reflected by a surface. As a design professional you're probably well aware of this, but what you may be less familiar with is the effect that chosen colours can have on the integrity of the substrate beneath.

The requirements for airtightness in a passive house are an important factor when looking at energy efficiency and comfort.

At Dulux, we seem to hear about a new type of certification on a monthly basis. Each has a different focus but often overlaps with other programmes. It's hard to decide which is most important when choosing a product, but here are some of the better known.

Before worrying about slab-edge, start with thermal bridging fabric above the ground floor with timber floor insulation and appropriate joinery detail.

Following on from last month's blog about roof underlays and general roof construction details we will now take a closer look at skillion roofs.

As an architect or designer you will often need to prove that proposed structures meet a number of fire safety standards including the mandatory provisions of the New Zealand Building Code fire safety clauses.

Over five years the BIM Acceleration Committee is charting the progress of accelerating the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM) into New Zealand’s construction industry. The first report is now available to download.

Following on from last month’s blog about WUFI, we would like to take a closer look at specific construction details in New Zealand.

Last November I wrote of thoughts I have had for a very long time regarding the possibility of there being negatives in fitting thermal insulation to the exterior face of an un-heated slab-on-ground concrete floor.

There are a selection of insulation products that can be used with skillion roofs to achieve great thermal performance, all the while maintaining a suitable air gap between the roof underlay and insulation.