Science proves its worth

By - , Build 178

Annemarie Crampton 24
Annemarie Crampton 24

TODAY WE HEARD the very welcome news that we are moving to Alert Level 2. After more than 7 weeks of unprecedented restrictions and economic pain, we are on the path to a new normal.

We could never have imagined what lay ahead in January 2019 when we planned the two features for this issue of BuildResilience and Why science matters – topics that have never been more relevant.

At the time, our aim was to prompt people to prepare for challenging times. To develop resilience to business disruption from earthquakes or extreme weather events from climate change, perhaps. We certainly didn’t expect to be in the middle of a black swan event caused by a global pandemic in which science is playing a key role in informing the way forward.

In this Build, we hear from the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, a role that ensures Jacinda Ardern has accurate evidence and access to appropriate expertise for informed decision making (see page 54). COVID-19 has been a very clear illustration of the importance of science advice in government and in our daily lives.

BRANZ research continues to improve our understanding of building science and to inform the Building Code and New Zealand standards. Two BRANZ scientists share their research journeys in this Build as they search for practical solutions to make our buildings more durable, safer and healthier (see pages 58–62).

In a new initiative, several of the articles in this Build were released first on our website Build online on 22 April. This allowed us to get out guidance on returning to work under Alert Level 3 and other COVID-19-related legal advice and articles when needed. If you missed these, email [email protected] and ask to be added to the monthly Build newsletter. This will ensure we let you know if we release articles online first again.

Annemarie Crampton
Build Editor

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

Annemarie Crampton 24
Annemarie Crampton 24

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