Fusion Homes: Building a stronger tomorrow

Building a stronger tomorrow

Christchurch City Council’s 12 new Dundee Place social housing units mark a real milestone in the residential rebuild, says Fusion Homes director Chris Haughey.

“We’re not only rebuilding, we’re making a real difference in people’s lives,” he says.

The Christchurch-based building company, which will build the single-bedroom units, is the only one in New Zealand to have whole-of-house approval from the Asthma Foundation’s Sensitive Choice® programme.

That officially recognises its homes as helping to reduce things that trigger asthma and other respiratory conditions.

But not only are they healthier than most built with more conventional methods, they’re also, quicker to construct, more environmentally friendly, and more seismically secure.

“None of the methods we’re using are revolutionary,” says Chris. “They’ve been available in other countries for decades, but they’re just not widely used in New Zealand.”

By putting all those methods together you have homes that are healthier, easier to heat, easier to live in, longer-lasting, quicker to build and have more usable floor space.

Fusion Homes believes these advantages should be available to everyone – not just to people who can afford to pay for added extras. “We have deliberately set out to do things differently,” says Chris.

The Dundee Place units, which have been custom designed for the Christchurch City Council’s elderly tenants, all incorporate the full Fusion Homes system. This includes:
• Pod foundations
• Structural insulated panels – the engineered wall, roof and floor panels are BRANZ approved as seismically strong and, once locked together, are remarkably airtight
• Foam insulation, which is longer-lasting and has a higher insulation rating than fibreglass and wool batts. It is also free of ozone-depleting CFCs and HFC and releases no vapours that damage the environment or affect people’s health
• Effective “whole of house” ventilation systems that replace stale air with fresh pre-warmed air, which is filtered for dust and allergens.

They will also last a lifetime – Fusion Homes also has Lifemark accreditation, meaning they meet design standards that makes them easy and safe to live in, no matter what the age of ability of the occupants.

“We’ve gone out and got all these accreditations because we know we can make a real difference in people’s lives,” says Chris. “There is absolutely no reason why New Zealanders should live in cold, damp, unhealthy homes – so we’re determined to build healthy, sustainable and affordable homes.”

This is especially important for social housing occupants, who are more likely to have respiratory conditions, says the Asthma Foundation’s business development co-ordinator Jennifer Day.

“Often the poor housing they live in makes those conditions even worse,” she says. “So building homes that are warm and dry will improve the occupants’ health and improve their quality of life.”

Chris and Jennifer have both congratulated Christchurch City Council for choosing a builder that makes a point of ensuring its homes are healthier.

“It shows their commitment to the health of their constituents and the people of Christchurch,” says Jennifer. “They have been willing to challenge the established way of doing things.”

“It’s a credit to the council in awarding such a contract,” says Chris. “They said ‘this is new, this could make a difference.’ They have thought about what it means for the future, not just accepted the way things have been done in the past.”

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says the council is pleased to partner with Fusion Homes on the design and build of its first new units to replace those damaged in the earthquakes.

“We are committed to providing good quality social housing units for our tenants, many of whom are some of our most vulnerable residents.

“We are aware of the need to urgently replace the units we have lost but we also need to build units that are warm, comfortable and accessible for our tenants and will last for many decades. That’s why it was important to us to work with a company who would be able to deliver housing units with all these attributes. Awarding the contract is a significant milestone for the council.”

ENDS

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