Business Central May 2024

90 | BuildtechNZ & Alan Craig Design T T Karen Phelps Energy-efficiency the main driver SIP are composite panels known for their high thermal efficiency. BUILDING BuildtechNZ has just completed a significant project in Weggery Drive, Waikanae using Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) that will pave the way for future projects of the same nature, says company operations manager Craig Wycherley. “Performance is the main driver in the project. The aim is to deliver a very high end comfortable, spacious, and energy-efficient family home,” he says. Comprising around 340sqm the three-bedroom high-performance home includes a morning room, open plan kitchen with scullery, living and dining, study, one main bathroom, two ensuites and a double garage. The client came to BuildtechNZ with plans complete by Alan Craig Design, a Levin based architect who concentrates on providing original and functional designs that reflect the unique requirements of the particular client. It was BuildtechNZ’s first time building a SIP home and the construction method was very different to a typical timber framed home demonstrating the skills and adaptability of the team, says Craig. “SIP are composite panels known for their high thermal efficiency. They’re constructed as a sandwich, comprising two layers of structural board with a layer of foam insulation in between. They can be used as walls, roofs and floors and result in energy efficiencies, speedier build times. It’s certainly been a very interesting and rewarding process as there is a lot of attention to detail.” Notably BuildtechNZ achieved the erection of the SIP panels in record time. “This really comes down to coordination, planning, traffic management, having the resource there and a concerted team effort,” says Craig. “It was expected to be a ten-day process for a particular stage and we installed the panels in just two days.” He says there is a lot of consultation and collaboration to deliver the exacting standards required to deliver a high performing home. “The project has involved a lot of experts and consultants including, for example, Healthy Homes Cooperation, which has been involved from the design phase regarding performance and then what is required to achieve this. We have worked with Healthy Homes Cooperation regarding anything that needs clarifying during construction and inspections to ensure specifications are achieved.” While a certified passive house would acheive a rating of 0.6 or less in terms of air tightness the team is aiming to achieve between 0.6-1 on the Weggery Drive project. The measurement is defined as a maximum of 0.6 air changes per hour as 50 Pascals of pressure, using a Blower Door test averaging the outcome of both pressurised and depressurised states. “The build has to go through a lot of checks and measures to ensure we are achieving air tightness via the Blower Door test that pressurises the home and identifies any leaks. It’s a very different way of building. For example every single panel has expanding foam between the joins and joints are also taped with an airtight tape to ensure there are no gaps.” The new home will be clad in a mix of feature cedar and weatherboard. It will also include a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery (MVHR) along with solar and underfloor heating. With the build well underway the project is due for completion mid September. BuildtechNZ project consultant Beau Prestidge says it’s been a hugely successful project and the company is about to commence construction on another SIP home in Taranaki. “The Weggery Drive project shows we can achieve a complex build to an exact standard,” says Beau. “It’s a high quality home in a pristine location and sets the benchmark.” Beau’s father Dan started BuildtechNZ in 1996 and works as managing director in Engineering Happy Healthy Homes For People And Planet As Modelled using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), the Webster’s healthy home requires 61% less heating than a home built to current Building Code Standards. 027 348 1110 www.healthyhome.kiwi KAPITI - 04 296 1727 | WELLINGTON - 04 568 2323 Domestic | Commercial | Industrial Electrical Contractors Ltd Suppliers of Electrical Services to: GOLD BuildtechNZ & Alan Craig Design For their Residential Developments “Serious Electrical Contractors” 021 029 46991 kapitipilingandearthworks@gmail.com SERVICES INCLUDE: ▶ Excavation ▶ Pile Driving ▶ Retaining Walls ▶ Driveways ▶ Site Prep ▶ Drilling ▶ Concrete Foundations

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