Building supplies: Timber industry needs to walk the talk
The wood vs steel vs concrete debate elicits lots of huffing and puffing, but the three little pigs didn’t have to worry about hitting carbon emission targets.
What’s at stake: Mass timber might be grabbing market share from steel and concrete, largely on the back of its carbon zero credentials, but its competing products say it’s not playing by the same rules.
Background: Timber framing is the most common home construction system in New Zealand, but there’s also been a surge in large-scale use of mass timber in the commercial space, with its proponents touting its inherent benefits, in the form of sustainability and speed. Steel fabricators, in particular, suggest the sector should still be using product declarations.
Main players: Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, Marty Verry, Red Stag, Precinct Properties, Heavy Engineering Research Association (Hera), SCNZ, MBIE, Don Davies, Anthony Leighs.
Red Stag chief executive Marty Verry says the use of engineered wood has reached “significant” scale in New Zealand, as more developers and designers specify mass timber products across residential and commercial builds.
Much of the locally produced cross-laminated timber (CLT) and its
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What’s at stake: Mass timber might be grabbing market share from steel and concrete, largely on the back of its carbon zero credentials, but its competing products say it’s not playing by the same rules.
Background: Timber framing is the most common home construction system in New Zealand, but there’s also been a surge in large-scale use of mass timber in the commercial space, with its proponents touting its inherent benefits, in the form of sustainability and speed. Steel fabricators, in particular, suggest the sector should still be using product declarations.
Main players: Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, Marty Verry, Red Stag, Precinct Properties, Heavy Engineering Research Association (Hera), SCNZ, MBIE, Don Davies, Anthony Leighs.
