BRANZ seminar: Medium Density Housing

Design and build better MDH.

In 2022, we have witnessed the number of consents for Medium Density Housing exceed those of standalone dwellings for the first time in our history.
Fuelled by the insatiable demand for housing, this trend is set to continue, not just in Auckland, but across all Tier 1 Council areas – Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

Factor in the introduction of the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021, and this means that Tier 1 Councils have had to change their planning rules to ensure that development is in accordance with the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).

So, looking to the future, how can we ensure Medium Density Housing (MDH) is designed and built well?

BRANZ, in conjunction with EBOSS and medium density design expert, Guy Marriage, are proud to bring you the MDH Design seminar series.

The seminars are being run in each of the Tier 1 Council areas this November and cover the fundamentals of designing and building compliant MDH above 2 storeys.

Topics include:
• structure
• fire
• acoustics
• weather-tightness
• inter-tenancy walls
• services
• facades
• indoor air quality
• thermal performance
• carbon emissions and more.

Attendees will receive a copy of the book Medium.

Presenters:

Guy Marriage (architect, author of the book Medium, and senior lecturer Victoria University of Wellington)

Guy Marriage is a Registered Architect with over 30 years of experience, teaching Construction at Victoria University of Wellington. He has worked on a variety of projects from massive underground train stations, to small houses, and in between, several apartment buildings. He is a Director at First Light Studio in Wellington. Having recently written a book Medium, he is presenting the findings to help Aotearoa create better medium-density housing.

Shaun King (Associate, Marshall Day Acoustics)

Shaun King is an associate at Marshall Day Acoustics. He has a wide range of experience covering both environmental and building acoustics. He is a specialist in apartment design with a focus on high performance solutions and mass timber construction techniques.

Kevin Frank (Senior Fire Research Engineer, BRANZ)

Kevin has been a fire research engineer at BRANZ since 2016. Kevin has a BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta in Canada and a PhD in Fire Engineering from the University of Canterbury. Kevin's research interests include the performance and effectiveness of fire safety systems (including facades) and risk-informed fire safety design methods.

Jonathan Hill (Director, Kaizon Engineering)

Jon has over seventeen years of experience in the design, investigation, and construction of building enclosure and facade systems for commercial, healthcare, sports, educational, and residential buildings. He has overseen major projects in the USA and in New Zealand that have encompassed the design and evaluation of facade and building enclosure components, both standard and customised. His wholistic approach incorporates the full building envelope (including glazing and cladding systems, roofs, plazas, and below-grade spaces).

     Our Sponsors