Extract

The political and economic pressure from the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes is creating a wave of building opportuni-ties in New Zealand. A growing realization that on-site construction of timber framed buildings is an inadequate response to the pressures of rebuilding 10,000 houses has meant that new systems of design, con-struction, and off-site prefabrication are being sought for the whole of the construction industry. This paper looks at one recent, highly inno-vative, and potentially cost-effective method of constructing build-ings. Drivers for this project include the need for high efficiency, high quality, high speed, and more affordable housing, especially in an over-heated housing market, as well as a response to construction in a seismically active zone. The parametric-based nature of the cladding system not only supports flexible design options, but also supports sustainable construction with the high rate of carbon sequestration of the massive timber and the minimization of time spent on site. The paper reports on the completed project and discusses issues that arose in fabrication both off site and on site.

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