What is a site waste minimisation plan?

Posted on Thursday 03 August, 2023

Proposed Building for Climate Change Amendments to the Building Act 2004 and a number of media driven stories have dragged the construction sector into the spotlight when it comes to the waste the sector produces recently. Some figures suggest that the construction sector in Aotearoa is responsible for up to 50% of the waste that goes to landfill.

To counter this, there has been a shift by some organisations to increase the weighting of non-price criteria relating to sustainability in the tendering process. Auckland City Council recently announced their intentions to pursue social and sustainable outcomes whenever goods, services or works are procured and have indicated that some tenders will include a sustainability weighting as high as 15%.

So, what does this mean for the construction sector?

Launching the Digital BIM Guidance (DigiGuide) Project

Posted on Friday 02 June, 2023

New Zealand Institute of Building and the BIMinNZ Steering Group are launching a Digital BIM Guidance (DigiGuide) Project. The project will bring together key stakeholders to form an inclusive network of subject matter specialists lead this project. The Construction Sector Accord is providing funding through its Innovation workstream.

Leading this project are members of the BIMinNZ steering group: Andrew Field, Melanie Tristram and Glenn Jowett, along with Pamela Bell and Hannah Keir-Smith from the NZ Institute of Building. 

Andrew Field explains what the group aim to achieve through this work and why it is necessary. 

What will the future of the construction industry look like?

Posted on Thursday 04 May, 2023

At the Building our Digital Community Conference in March we spent the day looking at what's possible in the future of construction - focusing on digital innovations. 

At the end of the day of presentations we asked delegates to send through their thoughts on what the future of construction looked like. We've some of their ideas along with thoughts from Pamela Bell. 

Reflecting on DigiComNZ2023

Posted on Tuesday 04 April, 2023

I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2023 NZIOB/BIM+NZ Building our Digital Community conference (DigiCom 2023) held in Wellington at Te Papa. The event brought together construction professionals from across the country to discuss the latest technological advancements and trends within our Building Industry.

One of the most impressive aspects of the conference was the diversity of roles represented by the attendees. Members of the Institute of Building were present in a variety of roles, including Contractors, Architects, Engineers, Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Client bodies and more.

Does the construction industry have the capacity and capability to rebuild after Cyclone Gabrielle?

Posted on Thursday 02 March, 2023

Professor Suzanne Wilkinson - Associate Dean of Research at the School of Built Environment at Massey University considers what Is needed from the construction industry in order to rebuild after Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Professor Wilkinson looks at the challenges faced by the industry after the Christchurch earthquakes and the lessons we can learn from them. 

Encouraging young people in the construction industry

Posted on Thursday 02 February, 2023

Adam Baxter, Construction Project Manager at Placemakers, reflects on his 10 years in the construction industry and explores whether we are offering enough encouragement to the next generation in the industry. 

"In a complicated field of specialists and technicians, we are in need of good leadership.

Whether or not my generation have been trained well enough or are as ready as can be to face the challenges that lay ahead, we will have to step up to the plate all the same.

So surely the risk in not sincerely encouraging young people in construction is greater than anything else at stake in the industry."

We Are Here For You - An Industry Insight From A Sales Viewpoint

Posted on Wednesday 07 December, 2022

OPINION

Dennise Austin, Business Development Manager for XLam NZ Ltd gives us an insight into our industry from a sales representative point-of-view.  Not just hers, but from the many sales professionals. Their roles encompass many things, whether it’s assisting you by ensuring the correct products/systems are specified, organizing project specific pricing, facilitating the logistics of getting the right product on site at the right time, ensuring the right applicators are installing the products specified, providing sustainability credentials or going to bat for you with council when you try some innovative design ideas. They Are Here For You.

The Future Is Bright

Posted on Wednesday 02 November, 2022

OPINION 

There are some exciting and attractive opportunities for young up-and-coming tradespeople and building professionals being provided by the New Zealand construction industry.