(MMC). This works by certifying manufacturers to produce consistently safe and reliable building components and modules. The end-to-end process from design (where relevant), manufacture, assembly, and right through to transportation and installation on-site, are assessed with ongoing checks and balances to ensure construction meets the requirements of the building code. Once certified, third party inspections, audits and post-certification surveillance will provide confidence of quality construction. Consenting authorities can focus on on-site building work not covered by the MMC certification such as site works, foundations, plumbing and electrical connections or connections to utilities such as sewerage and storm water. A manufacturer’s certificate for a modular component will be considered or accepted as proof of compliance with the building consent. Under the amendments
to the Act, the government says manufacturers who prove their systems and processes are compliant will benefit from a new streamlined nationwide consenting process for prefabricated buildings. This will enable the mass factory production of high-quality buildings, halve the number of building inspections for factory produced buildings and ensure only the location where a prefab house is installed requires a building consent,
removing the possible need for two separate consents. Current consenting processes are geared to traditional construction methods and create barriers, duplication and delays for more innovative products and methods. The industry is well ahead of the game and already can deliver innovative and affordable housing efficiently, using techniques such as prefabrication and off-site manufacturing. Concision off-site man-
ufacturing in partnership with Versatile recently completed a four-bedroom, two bathroom, brand new family home in just 10 weeks, start to finish. The home’s 43 panels were manufactured in Concision’s factory in just two days. They were then delivered to site and installed in a single day. “In general, we can turn around the panels for a standard 150m2 home in about four hours and have capacity to build 1000 homes a year. Concision panels have recently been put to use in a 41-apartment block in Wellington, schools in Canterbury and Auckland and state housing units in Napier. Fletcher Building through its Clevercore brand has a hi-tech facility up-and-running in Wiri to “accelerate the manufacture of quality homes at scale by producing the core structural components of a home in a factory environment, in as little as a day.” This reduces onsite build times by 60 percent, or from 22 weeks to around 6-10 weeks, the company says.
propertyandbuild.com 39
CONSTRUCTION
June - July 2021
