N E W S - I N D U S T R Y M A T T E R S
14 December 2019
X-Frame for waste free buildings
gets commercialisation boost
Clip-together modular building design can be
rapidly assembled, disassembled and reused,
eliminating waste during a building’s lifecycle
and heads us towards a circular economy
Victoria University of Wellington PhD
candidate Ged Finch is fast tracking
the commercialisation of his X-Frame
structural frame solution for waste free
buildings with support from the KiwiNet
Emerging Innovator Programme. The
game-changing framing system can be
disassembled and re-used at the end of
a building’s useful life.
Finch’s design, a self-braced interlocking
wood design which clips together
eliminating the need for single-use
fixings, has the potential to eliminate
waste and reduce the amount of raw
materials being used by the building
industry. Approximately half of all New
Zealand's waste—about 1.6 million
tonnes every year—is generated by the
construction sector.
“The current widespread use of adhesive
based fixings and single-life materials
means that building a single new
home will create about four tonnes of
waste during construction, and even
more when it’s eventually demolished
and taken to the landfill,” says Finch.
Finch, who has been working with Viclink,
Victoria University of Wellington’s
commercialisation office, also secured
a place on KiwiNet’s Emerging Innovator
programme to help commercialise
the green architectural solution.
Every single component of Finch’s
X-Frame design, cut by a computer-controlled
router, can be disassembled and
reused, so no waste is produced at
any stage of a building’s lifecycle. The
clip-together design allows any type of
structure—floors, walls, ceilings—to be
rapidly assembled and disassembled
many times over, using unskilled labour
and a bare minimum of tools, akin
to flat-pack furniture. Adding doors or
windows at a later stage is simple, and
when kids leave home: “they could literally
take their rooms with them, as our
modular design also clips onto standard
framing.”
Dr James Hutchinson, ceo of KiwiNet,
says: “Ged’s vision is to transition the
building sector from a linear (take,
make, dispose) economy to a circular
economy—where materials are reused
in endless cycles. His approach could
set a new benchmark for sustainable
design, and it makes great commercial
sense. KiwiNet’s Investment Committee
saw an opportunity to support Ged with
expertise, networks and funding to do
specialised work required to demonstrate
his ideas at scale, and to assist
with the commercialisation pathway
Get New Zealand’s top health
and safety qualification under
your belt
Gain the NZQA-approved New
Zealand Diploma in Workplace
Health and Safety Management
(Level 6) with the EMA.
Places are limited.
Register now
e0m80a0. c3o0.0n z362
REN401
Future of Work
priorities released
The Future of Work Tripartite
Assessment identifies the
priorities for NZ’s working future,
says BusinessNZ chief executive
Kirk Hope.
The Future of Work Forum - a
partnership of Government,
BusinessNZ and the CTU -
outlined some of the issues that
will impact NZ over the next 30
years, and the steps required
by Government, business and
unions to create opportunities
from the changes. Kirk Hope says
many skills that are needed now
will soon become obsolete.
"Work and workplaces are
becoming automated, and
workplaces are becoming
organised in different ways.
"Without appropriate action,
there’s the danger of income
inequality, lower employment
standards and possible job loss,"
Kirk Hope says.
"Our challenge is to create
systems that can effectively
support workplace transformation.
Education, welfare and health
systems all need to be aligned
with the changing world of work.
"The Forum is action orientated
towards solving these challenges
collaboratively. It was great to see
more resources put in to employer
led literacy and numeracy by
the Government in recognition
of the benefits to both business
and workers of strengthening
the foundation skills of the
workforce," Mr Hope says.