Another successful RANZ annual conference was held at SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre in July, with one of the highlights being special guest speaker Hamish Matheson, RoofStar Technical Advisor for the Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia, based in Vancouver. “Hamish’s presentation really opened our eyes to the opportunities out there, particularly around training. Our Canadian […]

Builders and Contractors readers are being offered a free ACC Benchmark service, which could potentially save their businesses thousands in costs. The new initiative is being offered by Manage Company, which has acted as ACC advisors for around five years. Managing director Martin Wouters says after working with more than 2000 different employers during this […]

The development and introduction of cross-laminated timber (CLT) is causing a lot of excitement in the Australasian construction sector, says Jeff Parker, technical manager of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association. “CLT is a structural product suitable for load-bearing construction including multi-storey buildings. It is effectively a wooden form of a concrete tilt slab, which […]

Nelson Airport’s new $32 million terminal redevelopment will highlight the capability of engineered wood products, says Jeff Parker, technical manager of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association. “This stunning building will showcase wood in its construction and once complete will be a showpiece, both for the Nelson region and the wider timber industry.” LVL from […]

The new Kaikoura District Council building is a great example of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) being combined with other engineered wood products including CLT in a Pres-Lam (Prestressed Laminated) timber building. “Pres-Lam is the result of years of research and a unique collaboration between commercial and academic partners at the University of Canterbury’s School of […]

New Zealand has always had the ability to build bigger timber structures. However it wasn’t until the emergence of the latest timber technologies that this has become a cost effective possibility, says Jeff Parker, technical manager of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association. “The economies of using products such as CLT and LVL, combined with […]