New report shows “prefabs” to be fast fix for crisis
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