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Housing crisis: prefabs to play a key role, new report

Tuesday 14 April 2015, 8:21AM

By Julie Landry

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New report shows “prefabs” to be fast, healthy fix for housing crisis
Pure Advantage releases investigative report on its new digital hub promoting ideas for greener, healthier NZ

A new in-depth investigation into New Zealand’s prefab industry shows an offsite manufacturing approach to housing components can help address the spectacular housing crisis facing Auckland and Christchurch.

Released today on a new revitalised website launched by Pure Advantage -  a group of prominent business leaders charged with investigating ways to catalyse a greener, wealthier New Zealand -  the article demonstrates how prefabrication offers a quick, high quality, cost-effective and weathertight solution, with the bonus of less environmental impact than conventional building process (which produces more waste, noise and disruption).

“Our largest city has become severely unaffordable, with a median house price of more than eight times the median household income”, says Pure Advantage CEO Simon Millar, who commissioned the report, which written by freelance writer Matt Philp and summarises the views of 85+ sources.

“There’s a sense that business as usual won’t cut it. Not when our biggest city requires 20,000 houses urgently just to meet the backlog, and people are giving up on the idea of ever owning their own house. A new approach to building houses offsite needs to happen.

Prefabrication isn’t a silver bullet, but it will make a difference.”

The days of associating the word prefab to memories of drab, draughty temporary classrooms needs to be put behind us. The 85+ people interviewed for the report explain how today’s version of ‘prefab’ is capable of combining stylish design with highly efficient and accurate offsite manufacturing methods.

“We’ve always taken pride in the idea that this is a country of practically-minded innovators, yet the rest of the world is miles ahead when it comes to adopting offsite building methods. It’s time to catch up,” says Mr Millar.

The new site has been transformed into a content hub, and will include original and shared content from businesses and policy-makers, think-tanks and commercial news outlets; making the work that is happening both in New Zealand and internationally more visible.

 

ENDS


About Pure Advantage
Comprised of business leaders who believe the private sector has an important role to play in creating a greener, wealthier New Zealand, Pure Advantage is a not-for-profit that investigates and promotes opportunities for green growth. Trustees include Sir George Fistonich, Chris Liddell, Phillip Mills, Jeremy Moon, Rob Morrison (chair), Geoff Ross, Mark Solomon, Duncan Stewart, Sir Stephen Tindall, and Joan Withers. Visit the new website at pureadvantage.org