Where is the Most Expensive Place to Build in 2018?
The dark cloud of the global financial crisis appears to be lifting over the world’s construction industry, and a new report reveals growing optimism in a strengthening global market Continue →
Author Curreen
The 10 Tallest Buildings Ever Demolished
Skyscrapers have pierced the air for over 150 years, but occasionally these huge structures are damaged, fall out of favour, or outlive their original purpose Continue →
Australia’s first CLT plant begins production
Building material manufacturer XLam has set the pace for a timber revolution in Australian construction, the Urban Developer reports, with production officially under way at their newly opened Cross Laminated Timber plant in Wodonga
The facility measures 12,000sq m and was announced in 2016, when the $25 million project was originally conceived to fill a gap in the industry responding to the demand for a sustainable, easy-to-use and fast building solution. Continue →
Prestigious timber design awards finalists revealed
NZ Wood has announced Stage Two Finalists for the 2018 NZ Wood-Resene Timber Design Awards
“This is New Zealand’s only timber design award event and allows engineers, architects, architectural designers and builders to showcase innovation using timber,” says Debbie Fergie, NZ Wood’s Promotion Manager. Continue →
Overseas investment on the rise
Foreign investment at the top end of New Zealand’s commercial property market has ramped up significantly in the last year, a new analysis has found
Colliers International’s Capital Markets team has analysed the last three years of commercial property transactions in New Zealand with a value of $50 million and over. Continue →
New seismic assessment reconciliation service launched
Engineering New Zealand has launched a reconciliation service to overcome the problem of widely differing seismic assessments
“Seismic assessments require significant professional judgement,” Engineering New Zealand Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene explains. Continue →
Housing plan commendable, but more innovation needed
The government’s plans to boost the rate of housing development are commendable but the practicalities remain problematic, say Colliers International property experts
The Labour-led coalition’s first formal Budget included an appropriation of $493 million towards the previously announced $2 billion KiwiBuild programme. Continue →
Auckland industrial property a steady performer
Strong investment demand has pushed yields for Auckland industrial property to record low levels, but can these go lower Alan McMahon asks? Continue →
Robot bricklayer set to build the world
Perth-based Fastbrick Robotics has partnered with strategic business consultants EY-Panthenon to understand the market potential of its Hadrian X robot
The company is known for its robotic bricklaying technology that improves safety, speed and accuracy while reducing costs during construction. Continue →
Sales volumes increase biggest in almost two years
The number of properties sold in April 2018 across New Zealand increased by 6.6% compared to the same time last year, according to the latest data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ)
Some 6,368 houses were sold across the country in comparison to 5,973 in April 2017, marking the highest year-on-year increase in the real estate industry in 23 months. Continue →
Risks and remedies for collapsing retaining walls
Retaining walls are an increasing feature of construction sites as sky high land prices add pressure to maximise the potential returns from each build
Construction companies look to utilise every inch of land when planning new developments, and many projects require high retaining walls to achieve bigger results. Continue →
KiwiBuild housing development scheme launched
Tender documents for the KiwiBuild ‘Buying off the Plans’ initiative – whereby the government will underwrite or purchase new homes the private sector and others are developing – have been released
The government has committed $2 billion for KiwiBuild, an ambitious programme that aims to deliver 100,000 affordable, quality homes for first home buyers over the next decade, 50,000 of which will be in Auckland. Continue →
So, how do you feel?
Colliers International’s March quarter surveys on Commercial Investor Confidence and House Pricing were significantly more positive than the December 2017 surveys, back up to around September 2017 levels
Overall Colliers Commercial Confidence index, countrywide, rose from 18 percent in December 2017, to 25 percent in March 2018. Continue →
Could higher density developments make Auckland more liveable?
The largest single housing development in New Zealand – Hobsonville Point – is emerging as a positive example of how living at density can enhance liveability
Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities National Science Challenge research led by Professor Errol Haarhoff is looking at whether living at higher density can strengthen communities and enhance liveability in new neighbourhoods. Continue →
Rural school in China to be built by robots
Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled plans for a primary school in China’s Jiangxi province which will partly utilise robots to build a series of barrel-vaulted classrooms, theurbandeveloper reports
The Lushan Primary School will educate 120 children 160 kilometres north-west of Nanchang and will serve 12 local villages with a total population of about 1,800 people. Continue →
The right plants can reduce indoor pollution and save energy
People in industrialized countries spend more than 80% of their lives indoors, increasingly in air-tight buildings that aren’t particularly good for human health
These structures require less energy for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, but can be hazardous if particulate matter and potentially toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, ozone, and volatile organic compounds, from sources such as furniture, paints, carpets, and office equipment accumulate. Continue →
East West Link ‘back with a vengeance’
The government’s $28 billion Auckland transport package has brought back the East West Link “with a vengeance”, says Colliers International’s head of Strategic Consulting
The Ministry of Transport’s revised Auckland Transport Alignment Project package (ATAP2) outlines the government’s key transport priorities over the coming decades. Continue →
New management for North City shopping centre
North City’s new owners have appointed Colliers International to manage the shopping centre
Kiwi Property yesterday announced it had sold the centre in Porirua, 15 minutes’ drive north of Wellington, for $100 million. Continue →
Median house prices up, Auckland down
The median house price for New Zealand rose 1.8% in March 2018 to reach a new record high of $560,000 up from $550,000 in March 2017, according to the latest data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ)
Median prices for New Zealand excluding Auckland increased by 6.2% year-on-year to a record high of $460,000. Continue →