Thirty of New Zealand’s top architecture, engineering and construction students competed to design an affordable and sustainable housing development in the heart of Christchurch recently.
The winners of this year’s ArchEngBuild challenge were announced by Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk at a prizegiving at the Christchurch Art Gallery.
The winners were Ella Knapton, architecture student at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington; Francis Orendain, construction management at Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki, and Douglas Goncalves, structural engineer at The University of Auckland.
The judges commended the sheer complexity of the work. “They had 48 hours to work together to come up with an incredibly well-resolved concept and a depth of knowledge that was really impressive.”
Overall, the judges were impressed with the students’ optimism and creativity in solving some of today’s biggest challenges — including resilience, sustainability and affordability in New Zealand buildings.
“The students we saw today are going to change the building industry. Our industry can be tough, but these students are hitting the real world with the right attitude and focus on collaboration and communication,” the judges said.
Minister for Building and Construction Hon Chris Penk said New Zealand’s housing needs to be affordable, and it needs to be resilient.
“We have some of the most unaffordable housing in the world, with over a quarter of renters spending more than 40% of their income on housing. This is hurting New Zealanders and it’s hurting the economy.
“Finding more efficient ways to build houses that are affordable, but also warm, durable, and safe from natural hazard should be the key motivators for the construction industry. These students are the future of the industry,” Penk said.
The ArchEngBuild Challenge, run by BRANZ and Concrete New Zealand, is in its 11th year. Past students have described the challenge as one of the best experiences of their studies, and the only chance they had to understand how to work with other architects, engineers and construction managers in multidisciplinary teams.
