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PurposeIn light of climate change, the design and construction of buildings needs to shift from conventional to lower-carbon practices to maximise carbon reduction. Over the past few years, the zero carbon buildings (ZCBs) approach has been promoted worldwide as an effective way to reduce environmental impacts and mitigate climate change. Although zero-carbon policies, technologies, processes and products are widely available in the construction market, construction stakeholders play an important part in adopting relevant strategies to implement ZCBs successfully. This study investigates the knowledge of construction stakeholders involved in the design and construction of buildings regarding zero carbon initiatives in New Zealand.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted using a literature review and an online questionnaire survey with various New Zealand's construction stakeholders.FindingsThe findings indicate a low level of knowledge regarding the design and construction of ZCBs. To successfully deliver ZCBs, the study suggests that construction stakeholders must have their self-awareness increased, especially in improving knowledge of whole-of-life embodied carbon reduction. The governments and construction sectors should devote more effort to establishing training programmes and knowledge-sharing platforms to improve stakeholder knowledge in carbon literacy, building assessment methods, energy modelling and life cycle assessment.Originality/valueThe research implications may assist the real-world uptake of the ZCBs approach by offering academics and practitioners an insight into the ZCBs knowledge gaps.

To make house prices affordable to first-home buyers on low-to-medium incomes, one of the solutions is the capped cost of public-housing projects. The accepted tender price forms the major portion of final project cost, and the level of the accuracy of the project’s tender price determines the possibility of achieving the cost cap. Hence, exploring and developing effective tender price forecasting tools is worth researching. To achieve this goal, the literature suggests that an understanding of the tools and factors affecting the accuracy of public-housing tender price is crucial. There is little to no research into tender price forecasting tools and the factors affecting the accuracy and efficiency of public-housing tender prices in the context of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. This research aims to fill some of this gap. It is a first step in an ongoing programme of research that aims to develop a public-housing project tender-forecast tool. The research aims to identify the possible tender price forecasting tools and the factors significantly affecting the accuracy of public-housing project tender prices in the context of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Preliminary interviews were carried out. The sample was limited to experts with at least five years’ public-housing tender experience in the Aotearoa New Zealand context. The frequency method was adopted to carry out data analysis. All preliminary interview participants agreed that material cost, labour cost and quality of design information were the top three factors significantly affecting the accuracy of the tender price. The research identifies loopholes in the current public-housing project tender practices in the context of the Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland public-housing sector. The main contribution of this research is providing insights for public-housing project cost estimators who aim to balance the accuracy of tender price and the efficiency of tender process, by using the research findings to select the appropriate tendering forecast tools. The research also provides a base for future research to develop tender forecasting tools by using information gaps and current industry practice findings. The data collected from this preliminary research are subjective; participants measured the importance of factors based on their own subjective opinions. There is no guarantee that the data collected fully reflect the opinions of the whole public-housing sector in the context of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. To overcome this limitation, the researchers will develop a questionnaire, and invite more eligible experts to complete questionnaire as the next research step.

In New Zealand (NZ), state school properties are owned by the Ministry of Education and operated by school managers with the assistance of external consultants. This study aims to explore relations...

Construction waste generation is a crucial issue in the construction industry worldwide which gives significant negative impact towards the environment, economy and society. New Zealand (NZ) is no exception with the construction industry being responsible for up to 50% of landfill waste. The quantification of construction waste generation is critically important to manage its negative impacts effectively. Due to the differences in materials, technologies and processes in the construction projects, NZ requires more specific data to quantify waste generation accurately. This study analysed waste quantities from 159 detached residential buildings to quantify waste generation rate per gross floor area (WGR). The WGR is 32. 2 kg/m2 which sits mid-range compared to other international studies. A regression model for predicting waste and trend analysis were conducted to identify the highly correlated design features with waste generation. Findings of this study are useful to determine the impact of design decisions on waste generation for typical NZ builds. Although the findings primarily aimed at the NZ construction industry, the results can apply to detached timber-framed homes overseas.

Refereed/Peer-reviewed Embodied energy has a significant effect on the total environmental impact of a project. However, emphasis is often placed primarily on operational energy, resulting in a knowledge gap about the current state of embodied energy use in affordable housing. To address this, the study investigates the level of embodied energy consumption in affordable housing, as well as the drivers, barriers, and techniques to reduce embodied energy. Based on a single embedded case study covering the period from cradle to end of construction, data were collected using embodied energy calculations of three affordable housing units in the project, semi-structured interviews with five design team members, and a cross-examination of findings with contract documents. The results were analysed using sensitivity analysis and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that all three house units fulfilled the baseline embodied carbon target of 800 kg CO2 /m2 and both detached properties fell within the LETI (2020) target of 500 kg CO2 /m2 . However, all three properties would fail to meet the RIBA or 2030 LETI target of 300 kg CO2 /m2 . This suggests that improvements are necessary to achieve future targets. The results show that financial capabilities and operational energy prioritisation act as the main enabler and barrier for reducing embodied energy. Local contractors/suppliers, minimising material use or intensity, and modular construction were highlighted as the key reduction techniques that can be used to help achieve future targets concerning embodied carbon in residential developments. The study contributes significantly to understanding the current state of embodied energy use in affordable housing and provides new insights on how to deal with embodied energy if we are to meet future energy targets.

The attention onprefabricated modules and components is resurging in the New Zealand residential construction industry. This isdriven by its relative benefitsand technological advancements.However inspite of thisattention, there has not been commensurate understanding of its manufacturing supply chainand the enhancement of theirperformance. Similarly, there has been little research considering the supply chain and supply chain integration in module/component manufacturing in residential constructionin New Zealand. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive overviewof the modular manufacturing process andthebarriers and enablers for supply chain integration in module manufacturing.The identified barriers are discussed with theirrelevant enablers. Informationfor the study investigation was collected through twelve semi-structured face to face interviews withprefabricationexperts. The information obtained was analysed using contentanalysis that enabled the development of a frameworkthat illustrates barriers and enablers for supply chain integration. Ad-hoc relationships, poor planning and scheduling, transporting of volumetric modules and information sharing are a few significantbarriers in the manufacturing process of modular bathroom pods and wall panels in New Zealand. The proposed framework providesa guide for the wall panel and bathroom pods manufacturing companies to improve integration across their entiremanufacturing process.

Purpose This paper aims to develop an integrated and comprehensive framework for building and property management (BAPM) for state schools in New Zealand. The results are expected to clarify the complicated process and provide a guide for school boards to manage their property effectively and efficiently. It also seeks to explore the relationship between the key stakeholders and how this impacts the BAPM. Design/methodology/approach In addition, to review literature, qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 16 top managers in state schools. The data analysis results were used to develop the framework using the integration definition for process modelling. Findings The findings contribute to understanding the processes in the BAPM in state schools of school board members by adding input, output, control and mechanism elements in each activity of the processes. The systematic models with main activities and people involved are presented as a guide for school boards in state schools in New Zealand. Challenges and issues in the processes are also identified to draw further study for both school boards and the Ministry of Education. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted with the participation of stakeholders who are sampled from top managers in state schools in New Zealand. A larger scale of participants from other schools may generalise the findings further. Practical implications The research findings are based on the needs and requirements of the stakeholders to understand, implement and control the BAPM for their schools and aid them to achieve the best value for money spending on the management. Originality/value The paper highlights the complexity of the BAPM in schools, presents the roles and responsibilities of the school stakeholders and proposes a systematic framework to assist the school managers in this management process.

CanConstrucNZ is a partnership programme between New Zealand universities, government agencies, and professional bodies to develop a smart system that enables mapping future pipeline projects with the industry capacity and capability to advise the stakeholders whether the sector will be capable of delivering the proposed construction projects. Defining the scope of the construction sector itself is the first step of the programme that helps measure the construction sector capacity. This paper compares different definitions and approaches of the construction sector boundaries and discusses similarities and differences in the selected classification systems, usually used to define, collect, and generate data for measuring the construction sector. The findings highlight the need for a more comprehensive classification to help generate the correct level of data for measuring the construction sector’s true scope and size, resulting in better policy initiatives, and informing changes in the industry. The findings of this study recommend future research to develop a customised classification system to represent the value of the New Zealand construction sector in a holistic manner.

Purpose Any building refurbishment is challenging and school buildings offer no exception. They are increasingly in need of refurbishment due to their age and evolving teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of literature on sustainable refurbishment so as to identify key lessons from selected successful refurbishment projects. The review findings are expected to contribute to the development of refurbishment plans in an effective and innovative manner that should extend building’s service life, focus on resource efficiency, and comfort their users. It will also contribute to knowledge base of refurbishment and suggest future directions for research. Design/methodology/approach The paper has undertaken a literature review on the sustainability assessment of buildings and frameworks for sustainable refurbishment. Besides, the work also provides a review of recent successful refurbishment projects to collect and structure systems experiences which can be adopted in developing a sustainable refurbishment strategy for school buildings. Findings Findings include three groups of lessons in terms of reasons, process and barriers in the selected refurbishment projects that assist stakeholders to prepare a suitable refurbishment plan for their school buildings. The potential of 3D scanners and BIM applications in the refurbishment process will also be reviewed in order to develop a proposed framework of 3D scanner vs BIM for the refurbishment process. Recommendations highlight the role of a national strategy as a driving factor for applying the advantages of information technology to enhance optimal solution selection processes to get better and more sustainable results. Originality/value The conceptual framework for 3D scanner and BIM applications within sustainable refurbishment for school buildings is currently under researched, and the findings aimed to address such a gap when considering 3D scanners and BIM applications in the refurbishment process.

Earthquake is an unpredictable natural phenomenon that create a vast amount of damage, affecting communities and their environment. To reduce the effects of such hazards, frameworks like building resilience have emerged. These frameworks target on increasing recovery after such disaster, by introducing new designs, technologies, and components to the building. To calculate the value of such improvements, use of loss estimation systems are essential. This paper compares and contrasts two most widely adopted loss assessment tools available, namely PACT and SLAT. Comparison of these tools mainly focuses on the consequence functions of the two methods. Recommendations are suggested to improve and complement these tools in future use.

Major earthquakes can cause extensive damage to buildings and alter both the natural and built environments. Accurately estimating the financial impact from these events is complex, and the damage is not always visible to the naked eye. PACT, SLAT, and HAZUS are some of the computer-based tools designed to predict probable damage before an earthquake. However, there are no identifiable models built for post-earthquake use. This paper focuses on verifying the significance and usage of variables that specifically need to be considered for the post-earthquake cost estimation of earthquake damage repair work (CEEDRW). The research was conducted using a questionnaire survey involving 92 participants who have experience in cost estimating earthquake damage repair work in New Zealand. The Weighted Average, Relative Importance Index (RII), and Exploratory Factor Analysis were used to analyse the data. The research verified that eleven major variables that are significant to the CEEDRW and should be incorporated to cost estimation models. Verified variables can be used to develop a post-earthquake repair cost estimation tool and can be used to improve the pre-earthquake loss prediction tools.

The increasing number of natural disasters worldwide has made post-disaster construction and demolition (C&D) waste management a crucial component of disaster recovery. This became apparent in New Zealand after the Canterbury region suffered enormously from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The City of Christchurch was severely affected, causing around 1000 commercial properties and 10000–15000 residential properties to require demolition. It was estimated that it generated approximately 8 million tonnes of debris, with probably more than a million tonnes from reparation. This paper reflects on the Canterbury earthquake C&D waste management process, limitations and offers recommendations to improve recovery from future disasters. In-depth semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted with government and non-government organisations involved with C&D waste management, including the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and accredited demolition contractors. Findings revealed that the “pick and go” strategy introduced by CERA was very effective, as it directed debris straight into the end-use market. This study identified a number of limitations in the current C&D waste management process, such as: lack of waste-processing facilities, incomplete policies and acts, organisational limitations, and poor communication and coordination between parties involved. The findings from this research contribute to a growing body of literature on post-disaster C&D waste management. This paper recommends pre-established waste management plans, additional resources, powerful legislation and a powerful organisation be established, with clear responsibilities and goals, to fully take charge of waste management in future disasters in New Zealand, and manage them effectively and efficiently.

Identification of costs drivers and their influence level on building development costs play a key role in the development of construction models and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of any project. Forty-five indicators influencing building development costs in New Zealand are explored by literature review and pilot interviews. These indicators are grouped into seven categories. The determination and ranking of the cost drivers are carried out by a questionnaire survey distributed to key professionals working in New Zealand’s construction industry. Structural equation modeling (SEM) software was employed for analysis of the collected data. One of the key advantages of this powerful software is to provide the p-value according to the structure of the research model. Findings of this study indicate that the property market and construction industry factor, statutory and regulatory factor, and socio-economic factor are major factors affecting building development costs in New Zealand.

Establishing and prioritising the factors that may influence the final contract price when responding to a call for tenders is crucial for proper risk analysis and reliable forecasting; it could make or mar the ability to achieve expected profit margin in an era of lump sum fixed price contracts where clients often contest variation claims. In New Zealand, these factors have not been researched; hence estimators rely only on judgement to ‘guess-estimate’ in their price forecasting. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap by investigating the priority factors. 150 responses from professional members of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors were analysed using multi-attribute method. Results showed thirty-seven factorswhich could influence the final contract price; the three most influential being poor tender documentation, complexity of design & construction, and completeness of project information. Other factors relating to project, client and contractor characteristics, design consultants and tendering conditions, estimating practice and external factors were reported. Concordance analysis indicated high level of agreement amongst survey participants in the rank-ordering of the relative importance of the identified factors. The findings could assist quantity surveyors to prepare more reliable contract price estimates at the pre-contract stage. It would also improve construction-stage cost control.

Several studies have documented benefits of prefabrication system (prefab) compared to the traditional building system (TBS). However, the documented benefits have been anecdotal or fragmented with reports of isolated case study projects. Few studies have looked at the objectively quantified benefits from statistical significance point of view and across building types in New Zealand. This study contributes to filling this knowledge gap by analyzing cost and time-savings, and productivity improvement achievable by the use of prefab in place of the TBS. Records of completion times and final contract values of 66 building projects implemented using prefab in Auckland were collected. The building types included commercial, houses, apartments, educational, and community buildings. The project details included final contract sums, completion dates, gross floor areas, and number of floors. Based on these details, the equivalent completion times and the final cost estimates for similar buildings implemented using the TBS were obtained from the Rawlinsons construction data handbook and feedback from some designers and contractors. Marginal productivity outcome for each building project was computed as the product of the cost and time-savings achieved using the prefab. Results showed that the use of prefab in place of TBS resulted in 34% and 19% average reductions in the completion times and costs, respectively. This also translated to overall 7% average improvement in the productivity outcomes in the building projects. Univariate ANOVA-based hypothesis test results showed that ‘building type’ had no significant effects on the cost and productivity improvement outcomes, but had significant effect on the time savings analyzed in the case study projects. The greatest productivity gain of 11% was achieved in house projects. These evidence-based results could guide optimized use of prefab for specific building application. The hypothesis-testing outcome provides insights on one of several potential influences on prefab improvements, which will be analyzed in subsequent research.

Identification of costs drivers and their influence level on building development costs play a key role in the development of construction models and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of any project. Forty-five indicators influencing building development costs in New Zealand are explored by literature review and pilot interviews. These indicators are grouped into seven categories. The determination and ranking of the cost drivers are carried out by a questionnaire survey distributed to key professionals working in New Zealand’s construction industry. Structural equation modeling (SEM) software was employed for analysis of the collected data. One of the key advantages of this powerful software is to provide the p-value according to the structure of the research model. Findings of this study indicate that the property market and construction industry factor, statutory and regulatory factor, and socio-economic factors are major factors affecting building development costs in New Zealand.