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The Building Research Association of New Zealand is committed to advancing resilience, sustainability, and innovation to address challenges and shape a better future for the construction industry. 2024 was no different. BRANZ reflects on the year’s key focus areas, projects, challenges, and trends. BRANZ reports that the year has been mixed for the building and […]
The Building Research Association of New Zealand is committed to advancing resilience, sustainability, and innovation to address challenges and shape a better future for the construction industry. 2024 was no different. BRANZ reflects on the year’s key focus areas, projects, challenges, and trends.
BRANZ reports that the year has been mixed for the building and construction sector, and they expect this trend to continue in 2025. Senior research analyst Matthew Curtis says the industry now sees the impact of fewer consents over the last 18 months, with builders who rely on new construction projects especially impacted. Market uncertainty is still high, and costs have escalated since the coronavirus pandemic, leading to many projects stalling or not starting.
“The announcement of government underwriting some developments suggests that they see some strength returning to the residential sector,” Matthew says. The Residential Development Underwrite initiative aims to support developers by acting as the pre-sales needed to secure bank financing for projects that are consented to, priced, and ready to go.
“In contrast, consent values in the non-residential sector are trending down across all the commercial, industrial and institutional sub-sectors.” Stats NZ data showed that in the year ended August 2024, non-residential building consents totalled $9.1 billion, marking a 7.9% decrease from the previous year.
Research funded by the Building Research Levy found another set of contrasts. Large architectural practices have struggled to adapt to shifting policies and priorities from central and local governments, whereas lending restrictions and high interest rates have been the main issues for smaller architectural practices, making it difficult to secure project financing.
Work responding to the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle has kept many busy. General research manager Dr Chris Litten says improving resilience has been a key focus this year. BRANZ has invested in research finding ways to protect buildings and people against extreme heat, wind and rain, earthquakes, and fire.
“In 2024, following the flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, we have been growing our research to develop practical guidance to ensure New Zealand homes are more prepared and resilient for whatever the future brings.
“Floods are not the only focus. We are also continuing to lead, collaborate, invest and contribute to research that covers a wide range of climatic changes and natural disasters as they affect the built environment, such as fire-safe design, seismic resilience, and climate change adaptation, so flooding, including rainfall, corrosion and rain run-off, and overheating.
“Our research in this area provides information to policymakers, designers, building and construction practitioners, insurance companies, civil defence groups, and other groups to prevent damage and support disaster recovery.”
Climate resilience is a major priority for BRANZ. More than 440,000 homes, sheds and sleepouts throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand, are in known flood-risk areas, and extreme weather events and flooding are more likely. BRANZ continues to provide practical guidance on strengthening homes against disasters and severe weather.
BRANZ is set to open a new purpose-built fire lab in Porirua next year, the only fire lab in Australasia that can test buildings up to three storeys high. The facility will allow BRANZ and collaborators to conduct further research to help reduce the fire risks of infrastructure nationwide, such as how different materials, products, and systems can withstand fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide.
Balancing the quality and cost of homes is an ongoing issue nationwide. Regulatory pressures, labour shortages, and the rising cost of land, materials, and living mean owning a home, let alone building a dream home, is out of reach for many New Zealanders. The industry offers many innovative solutions for affordable, quality housing, including prefab and modular homes, smarter designs, and alternative materials, yet these options don’t work for everyone. Though energy-efficient homes promise long-term savings, they come with higher upfront costs.
BRANZ has a longstanding commitment to improving housing affordability for all Kiwis. Several collaborative research projects investigate alternative housing models that are culturally appropriate, accessible, and affordable for different populations. BRANZ also conducts targeted research on innovative new building materials, construction techniques, and regulatory frameworks to help reduce building costs and improve housing supply.
Researchers also investigated new heating technologies to reduce household energy use and bills. These include solar-direct water heating technologies and air-to-water heat pumps, which can significantly lower grid energy consumption, particularly in larger households.
In 2024, BRANZ made major progress in their Home Energy End-use Project (HEEP) 2 study, analysing how Kiwi homes use energy and how we can be more efficient. With help from Stats NZ, the project is collecting data in various ways on more than 750 homes and monitoring the energy use of nearly 300 homes nationwide. It will provide researchers and policymakers with better information to help ensure that all New Zealanders have energy-efficient, healthy, and affordable homes.
“The precursor for HEEP2, HEEP1, was done 20 years ago, so we’re doing it again to see how factors like population change and innovation have impacted the energy use in our homes,” says Dr Chris Litten.
“Together, the projects are among the biggest studies ever undertaken by BRANZ. Ultimately, HEEP2 will provide researchers and policymakers with better information to help ensure all New Zealanders have energy-efficient and healthy homes that are affordable to run.
“Related to this, an important focus for BRANZ is increasing New Zealanders’ knowledge of how to maintain healthy homes. BRANZ is collaborating on ongoing research to shed light on how people ventilate their homes, the barriers to natural ventilation (opening windows), and the pros and cons of other low-cost interventions to reduce mould and dampness.
“A highlight earlier this year was providing free ventilation advice to thousands of homeowners at home show stands nationwide. We received fantastic feedback from people who are implementing our advice.”
Another undeniable issue is building sustainably, which in 2024 was advanced by training, tools, and guidance backed by science: BRANZ’s ongoing research supporting New Zealand’s transition to a zero-carbon future.
The Future of Work programme, developed in partnership with ConCOVE Tūhura and Waihunga Ara Rau, is a key initiative in BRANZ’s sustainability portfolio. In its first phase, researchers identified critical gaps in zero-carbon skills within the industry and designed strategies to address them. Now, in its second phase, the programme is trialling and evaluating a variety of zero-carbon mentoring and teaching initiatives to upskill industry practitioners effectively.
To tackle the issue of construction waste, BRANZ, in partnership with the Ministry for the Environment Manatū Mō Te Taiao, has updated its REBRI (Resource Efficiency in the Building and Related Industries) resources. These freely available tools on the BRANZ website provide valuable guidance on reducing waste throughout the construction lifecycle.
BRANZ’s research aligns with one overarching goal: to create an environmentally sustainable built environment for all New Zealanders. BRANZ empowers the industry to adopt sustainable methods that balance environmental and economic priorities through innovative solutions in construction practices, energy use, and waste management.
Globally, the construction industry is undergoing rapid changes. BRANZ Senior research economist Daniel Du Plessis says new innovative design approaches, technologies, and materials present an opportunity for the nation’s construction sector to improve its performance, regulations, and quality standards by looking overseas.
“Emerging technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), construction robots, and modern methods of construction – have the potential to greatly improve the way buildings are designed, built, and managed,” he says.
“While these technologies have been used independently in the past, a recent trend is their increasing integration to create an even more profound impact on the industry.
“Construction robots are gaining traction due to their potential to significantly improve productivity and enhance safety within the industry.
“Over the past decade, leading nations in this field, like the United States, China, India, Singapore, and Canada, have developed robots capable of automating repetitive and labour-intensive tasks, including laying bricks, tying reinforcing steel, and cutting, drilling, sanding, and transporting materials.
“Some robots can build 3D maps and monitor potential hazards in construction sites, and some can be worn (like an exoskeleton), capable of supporting and protecting workers while they perform physical and demanding tasks, such as carrying heavy objects.
“Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) boost quality, efficiency, and sustainability in construction projects. These innovative techniques, including prefabrication, modular construction, and 3D printing, deliver high-quality, cost-effective and sustainable buildings.”
“Prefabrication and modular construction, collectively known as offsite manufacturing (OSM), involve manufacturing prefabricated elements offsite and assembling them onsite. This approach is gaining momentum, with the global market for prefabricated construction projected to reach $157 billion by 2023.
“Countries like Japan and Sweden are leading the way, and New Zealand is rapidly embracing this innovative approach.”
BRANZ is an independent, impartial research, testing, consulting, and information organisation. It focuses on enhancing the performance of New Zealand’s building system through industry-good research, knowledge dissemination, and consultancy services, aiming to improve the built environment nationwide.
