Discussing Smart Sustainability and Design for New Zealand Buildings

In the wake of recent changes to the Building Code Regulations – H1 Energy Efficiency clause aimed at making building compliance simpler and more cost-effective, the question remains, ‘can we design better-performing buildings without breaking the budget’?

This is the question Technical Director Steve Smith recently unpacked when he featured on the Beyond the Guesstimate podcast with Nick Clements from YourQS, a New Zealand based podcast focusing on efficiency improvements and innovations in the local building and construction industry.

As demand for high-performing thermal insulation continues to sky-rocket on the back of regulation changes like H1, Steve discussed how insulation can be better engineered, value-optimised, and sustainably delivered to support the creation of better buildings and homes in New Zealand.

Driven by sustainability, we are committed to optimising our processes and operations to deliver high-performing glasswool products with a low carbon footprint that address the challenges faced by the local industry. Steve covers the latest advancements and innovations introduced to tackle these challenges, including the development of the low-density, single-layer R7.0 and R8.0 ceiling insulation products, the use of recycled glass for manufacturing, and the optimisation of shipping and transport methods to minimise embodied carbon.

Other topics covered during the podcast include:

The trade-offs between thermal performance and product cost

How New Zealand’s approach with H1 compares to regulations around the world

The growing demand for health, sustainability, and safety of buildings

Changes to New Zealand’s product import regulations and its impact on product quality.

Listen to the full episode of Beyond the Guesstimate now on YouTube: Episode 13 Beyond the Guesstimate featuring Steve Smith from Knauf Insulation - YouTube

Learn more about how Knauf Insulation is optimising our processes and operations to reduce operation and embodied carbon and support better buildings in our new Sustainability Guide: A New Vision of Sustainability. Now available for download HERE.