Students compete to design sustainable, earthquake-resistant housing

The winners of this year’s ArchEngBuild Challenge were announced by the Minister for Building and Construction, the Hon Chris Pink, at an awards ceremony at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū on Thursday 4 July.

The winners were Ella Napton, an architecture student at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University in Wellington; Francis Orendain, director of construction management at Western Institute of Technology; and Douglas Gonsalves, a structural engineer at the University of Auckland.

ArchEngBuild BRANZ Award winners Frances Orendin, Douglas Gonsalves and Ella Knapton. Photo: Ricky Watson

The judges praised the extreme complexity of the work: “They had 48 hours to work together to come up with a very good concept and the depth of knowledge was really impressive.”

Overall, the judges were impressed by the students’ optimism and creativity in solving some of the biggest challenges we face today – including resilience, sustainability and affordability in building construction. “The students we saw today will change the construction industry,” the judges said. “Our industry may be tough – but these students are entering the real world with the right attitude and a focus on collaboration and communication.”

“New Zealand’s housing must be affordable, and it must be resilient,” said Building and Construction Minister Chris Pink. “We have some of the most unaffordable housing in the world, with more than a quarter of renters spending more than 40 per cent of their income on housing. This is hurting New Zealanders and it is hurting the economy.”

ArchEngBuild at the University of Canterbury. Photo: Ricky Watson

“Finding more efficient ways to build homes that are affordable, yet warm, durable and safe from natural hazards should be a major driver for the construction industry. These students are the future of the industry.”

ArchEngBuild is managed by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) and Concrete New Zealand.

Collaboration is at the heart of the ArchEngBuild competition, says Claire Falk, CEO of BRANZ. “Every year we challenge architecture, engineering and construction students to work together to help drive collaboration in the industry. It’s amazing what they come up with and how they work together,” she says.

“At BRANZ, we work to encourage collaboration across the building and construction sectors to find solutions to housing-related challenges. ArchEngBuild gives people the opportunity to work together and understand each other early in their careers and transfer these skills to the industry.”

Tour of the ArchEngBuild site for Tauranga Christchurch Library. Photo: Ricky Watson

The ArchEngBuild Challenge is now in its 11th year. Past ArchEngBuild students have described the Challenge as one of the best experiences of their studies and the only opportunity they have had to understand how to work with other architects, engineers and construction managers in multidisciplinary teams.

The competition was judged by:

ArchEngBuild 2024 was sponsored by Concrete NZ, Metals New Zealand, WIDE, New Zealand Timber Design Society and Southbase. It was also supported by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects, Te Ao Rangahau Engineering New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Building. ArchEngBuild took place from Tuesday 2 July to Thursday 4 July at the University of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha in Canterbury.

About the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ):

BRANZ is an independent company providing research and testing services to the building industry in Aotearoa New Zealand. We use our systems knowledge, collaborative research and extensive networks to identify practical solutions that improve the performance of building systems in Aotearoa New Zealand.

BRANZ is committed to a future where all New Zealanders can live in safe, healthy and sustainable homes. Find out more: branz.co.nz

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