A new medium density housing information hub (www.branz.co.nz/mdh) established by BRANZ points to an exciting future for multi-unit housing in New Zealand.

The information hub is a resource centre of peer–reviewed reports, articles and tools developed by BRANZ as output from the Medium Density Housing (MDH) programme, an investment of $3.6m of levy funded research over the past 3 years.

The programme aims to:

• Increase the quality and affordability of MDH.
• Increase the utility and attractiveness of MDH for occupants and neighbourhoods.
• Upskill the industry to deliver MDH.
• Ensure technical solutions are accessible.
• Support the industry with best practice guidance.

Innovation in the design and delivery of medium density housing is a result of housing demand created by a steadily growing population, with immigration being the catalyst that is sustaining population growth.

The trends of a growing population and increasing medium density housing construction activity requires new technical systems for the design and delivery of multi–unit projects.

Technical needs, ie, information on fire performance, noise, weather tightness, indoor air quality and structure have been identified through an industry survey as high priority information needs to support MDH projects.

Winstone Wallboards Ltd provides an extensive portfolio of products and system solutions specifically for medium density housing projects. And its technical experts can advise on the right systems to deliver high quality outcomes that add value to medium density housing projects.