Features

Each Build offers in-depth insights into two topics of interest to the building and construction industry.

B185 Hi Perf

Feature section: High-performance buildings

Build 185

Changes are coming as the government backs healthier housing and reducing emissions. It’s time to respond with higher-performing buildings.

B184 NZUnique2

Feature section: NZ's unique environment

Build 184

Our narrow rocky coastline and climatic conditions inform where and how we build. Increasingly, an Aotearoa design is also emerging – architecture enriched by Maori design and culture.

B184 Supply

Feature section: Supply chain

Build 184

Although a booming building industry saw supply chain shortages emerge well before the global pandemic took hold, COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation, causing delays, increased costs and legal headaches.

B183 Wellbeing

Feature section: Building for wellbeing

Build 183

Understanding of the relationship between wellbeing and the built environment is growing, both in research and practice.

B183 Weathertightness

Feature section: Weathertightness

Build 183

While some of the issues have been resolved, leaky buildings haven’t yet gone away in New Zealand.

MatDurability

Feature section: Material durability

Build 182

Building materials must be durable and stand the test of time. Research into how well they cope with our climatic conditions and how to chemically identify substituted materials are two major areas of study.

NetZero

Feature section: Net-zero carbon buildings

Build 182

There is a clear call to meet the challenges of climate change, and the construction sector needs to respond now by moving to net-zero carbon design.

B181 Healthy

Feature section: Healthy homes

Build 181

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.

B181BControls

Feature section: Let's talk building controls

Build 181

The building control system ensures our buildings meet certain minimum safety and quality requirements.

Fire4

Feature section: Fire

Build 180

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.