Features
Each Build offers in-depth insights into two topics of interest to the building and construction industry.
Feature section: Healthy homes
All New Zealanders should be able to live in warmer, drier, healthier homes. BRANZ is at the forefront in working to achieve this with its research integral to making positive change.
Feature section: Let's talk building controls
The building control system ensures our buildings meet certain minimum safety and quality requirements.
Feature section: Fire
The fire performance of building façades is a hot topic. Recent work has improved our understanding of how to test their fire performance, particularly in taller timber buildings, and is investigating other fire risks in buildings and fire safety in densified housing.
Feature section: Ventilation
Our buildings are changing and so is the ventilation required to keep them healthy. Factors like airtightness, location, climate and occupant use all play an important part.
Articles in this section
Feature section: Building better
New Zealanders suffer from our poor-quality residential building stock. BRANZ is among those looking at ways to eliminate this problem by taking a whole-of system approach to understand why this is the case.
Feature section: Mid-rise housing
Mid-rise housing continues to grow in popularity, accounting for over 40% of new residential consents in 2019.
Articles in this section
Feature section: Resilience
The building industry has always been subject to the forces of the market and the environment, but now add a global pandemic that has brought everything to a halt. Being resilient will help businesses get through this crisis, recover and prepare for the future.
Feature section: Why science matters
We’re turning to science currently to control the pandemic facing the world. Science has always been at the heart of BRANZ, and this continues as we grow building knowledge and find solutions to ensure New Zealanders can live in healthier, more resilient buildings and communities.
Feature section: Making housing affordable
Governments everywhere are working on providing affordable housing, but it remains a gnarly problem with no easy solutions.
Feature section: Managing risk
The building and construction industry is risky and can be litigious. Better risk allocation and good communication between parties to solve problems before they get out of hand will help minimise risk.
