Understanding Construction Stakeholders’ Experience and Attitudes toward Use of the Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) in New Zealand

Abstract

New Zealand faces a housing shortage with construction struggling to meet demand. Structurally insulated panels (SIPs) have been demonstrated internationally as a method of construction which could reduce construction time frames, improve the standard insulation in housing, as well as reduce the amount of waste generated on construction sites. However, anecdotal evidence shows that the SIPs’ adoption is lacking, which is, perhaps, attributed to its industry-wide acceptance level. Thus, in this study, the construction stakeholders, such as architects/designers, builders, territorial authorities and homeowners were targeted to shed light on current status of SIPs use, benefits offered and any barriers inhibiting its industry-wide implementation. This was done through a survey, which was designed to understand the construction stakeholders’ experience levels regarding SIPs use in New Zealand as well as their opinions about any problems associated with the SIPs adoption. Although the stakeholders were happy with the thermal performance offered by SIPs, the results indicate that lack of familiarity and understanding are one of the main barriers to the widespread use of SIPs in New Zealand. Moreover, proper training and clear design information are reported to be crucial to make the building and consenting processes efficient, which will ultimately improve the cost-effectiveness. Despite the barriers (to SIPs adoption) documented by stakeholders, the common belief is that SIPs offer wide-range of benefits to improve performance of the built environment; hence, the stakeholders expressed their willingness to design/build/recommend SIP homes. It is hoped that the findings of this study will guide the industry practitioners in investing their efforts in wider adoption of SIPs in New Zealand.

Impact of BIM-related factors affecting construction project performance

“…This study adopted mixed method (combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches), which aligns with many studies on the subject (Durdyev et al , 2019; Harris et al , 2019; Lessing et al , 2017), to achieve the main objectives. First (qualitative approach), previous studies on the subject were systematically reviewed (Durdyev, 2020) to identify 35 BIM-related variables that impact construction project performance.…”

Improvement of organizational and technological design of low-rise residential buildings with consumption of fuel and energy resources

“…Modern low-rise housing development is characterized by a variety of applied technologies and construction materials, the peculiarities of the application of which are devoted to a significant number of studies, including foreign ones [8][9][10][11][12]. The main ones include: traditional (using small-piece materials such as brick, lightweight concrete blocks, stone, etc.…”

Evaluating the fire risk associated with cladding panels: An overview of fire incidents, policies, and future perspective in fire standards

“…They are often found in exterior cladding systems or otherwise known as exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFS) or external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS). The existing exterior wall assemblies can vary, including many types, such as exterior insulation finish system (EIFS), [13][14][15][16][17][18] metal composite material cladding, [19][20][21] high-pressure laminates, [22][23][24] structural insulation panel system (SIPS), [25][26][27][28] rain screen cladding (RSC), [29][30][31][32][33] weather-resistive barriers, 34 external timber panelling, 35,36 and so on. These assemblies can typically be installed as the external cladding or covering a solid structural external wall and also can be a curtain wall system.…”