For the Steel & Tube team, the Asian Construction Expo was an opportunity to connect with tradespeople, property developers, designers, architects and others who are passionate about building and designing for New Zealand using high-quality construction materials.
Steel & Tube’s Specification Manager for Roofing, Sylvan Cheng, and Luke Lu, Customer Consultant, reflect on the top three trends gained from the Asian Construction Expo.
Trend One: Medium density housing increases in popularity
Steel & Tube is hearing from an increasing number of property developers looking to invest in medium density housing, such as apartments and townhouses. In comparison to building a traditional freestanding residential home, a medium density housing build can accommodate more homes on a single section to obtain more profit. This is an attractive prospect to the many property developers looking for a timely and cost-efficient return on investment.
Talk of medium density housing echoes the sentiments discussed our recent interview with Guy Marriage, an author, architect and lecturer. To learn more about medium density housing, register now for a copy of Guy’s new book, Medium.
When reflecting on the trend for the increasing popularity of medium density housing design, Steel & Tube’s Sylvan Cheng says: “I encourage property developers, architects, designers and engineers to involve the Steel & Tube team early in their design process. Our expert specification teams can provide cost optimisation, material warranty and selection, profile selection and more”.
“It was an opportunity to show the full product range on offer at Steel & Tube from the ground up. We are pleased to supply this range for both domestic and industrial projects. It was great to discuss how this range can be included in medium density housing”, says Luke.
Trend Two: The expanding demographic profile of the construction industry
As we know, diversity fuels new ideas. For that reason, Sylvan reports that he was pleased to see the continued growth of the Asian construction market here in New Zealand.
Sylvan says: “Working with Chinese-speaking members of the New Zealand construction industry is one of the most rewarding parts of my role. I moved to New Zealand in 2013. So, I understand the cultural differences and challenges faced during this process. As New Zealand is in the midst of a housing shortage, it’s very rewarding to play a role in supporting the developers looking to alleviate these pressures throughout the country”.
Trend Three: The rise of the small-scale developer
Perhaps inspired by the spirit of Kiwi ingenuity, we have seen the rise of the small-scale developer who is handling one or two small builds consisting of three or so townhouses on a single section.
Reflecting on the trend, Sylvan says: “It’s always great to see more people getting involved in the construction industry. My advice is that we have many technical webinars and presentations regarding products and best practice. We welcome property developers working with Steel & Tube to expand their knowledge particularly around the technical aspects of a build. We really encourage everyone to reach out to us with their questions”. To speak with a specialist, click here.
Luke says: “There were many small developers in attendance. Many are new to the industry, have purchased a piece of land. These developers are wanting guidance. We spoke with some homeowners looking to take their first steps into property development. This is an exciting process during which there will be many learnings along the way. I really enjoy sharing our knowledge with people at this stage of their development journey. There are many details which need to be discussed so it’s a pleasure to facilitate connections with the right people”.
Final thoughts
After two years of minimal opportunity to connect with the construction industry in person, the Asian Construction Expo delivered great conversation and knowledge sharing opportunities.
To explore other construction industry events, click here.
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