Residential Building - Blue Group NZ / Blue Building Solutions
Building ventilation key to good health Sue Russell According to Tim Dorrington co-owner and director of Blue Building Solutions and owner of Tauranga based Blue Group NZ not nearly enough thought has been put into recognising how vital adequate building ventilation is to this country’s alarmingly high rate of Asthma and respiratory diseases. The energised entrepreneur who originally hails from England is the first to celebrate the fact that councils and building codes are finally recognising this fact and embracing passive ventilation standards which should soon become mandatory. Blue Building Solutions focuses itself on ventilation research and development along with sourcing, manufacturing and distributing passive ventilation products to service the local construction industry. “When we began working in this area things were fairly slow starting back in 2012. Since this time with the work we’ve done and with linking with significant industry agencies like BRANZ and MRM, there has developed a much more heightened awareness of how important the right type of ventilation is,” says Dorrington. He is also pleased to see much greater awareness amongst architects here to become versed in ventilation systems after the years of concentrating on just ensuring absolute watertightness. “The two things go hand in hand. If you don’t have sufficient ventilation you are going to end up with significant problems with roof condensation and ultimately rot occurring undermining the structure’s integrity.” His company stocks the basic passive ventilation products best suited to meet New Zealand’s roof, home and cavity ventilation needs. The ventilation processes are disarmingly simple. “When wind blows over a roof’s ridge, it causes a negative pressure that in turn draws warm air out of the attic or roof space. The air drawn in to replace this enters through the under eave or soffit vents and ultimately exits at the ridge vent. “Even with no wind the action of rising warm air maintains this air flow along the underside of the roof. Best of all it works year round and there are no running costs.” Passive ventilation is currently being
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Blue Group NZ Ltd focuses on residential and commercial construction. incorporated into the Building Code of Practice, and as far as Dorrington is aware, his company is the most experienced and established in the country dealing with passive ventilation. “Once the requirements are imbedded in the code we’re expecting a boom in business and we are prepared for that right now.” Dorrington is convinced that in time New Zealand will see a reduction in condensation and mould-related illnesses such as asthma and associated respiratory diseases so common in this country. He is especially excited about being part of pioneering passive ventilation systems as standard in New Zealand construction into the future. “I have been given the biggest kick out of passive ventilation.
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“It’s been such an achievement in the short space of time we’ve operated to have got this far and to have this work recognised within the building research and development industries is a great thing for us.” To do this has meant rubbing shoulders with industry cohorts such as the Building Research and Roofing Associations of New Zealand, the Department of Building and Housing and with architects to name just a few. “When you consider that 80% of New Zealand’s homes are constructed using steel roofing which is the highest conductor of condensation of any roofing material you can
begin to see the significance of what has been achieved,” says Dorrington. Blue Building Solutions offers a range of mould-related services including invasive and non-invasive mould identification reports, toxic mould removal and prevention. Blue Group NZ Ltd focuses on residential and commercial construction and has until recently concentrated the bulk of its work on the Christchurch rebuild as an EQC approved contractor. Blue Group NZ is now focusing on the building of new homes and will design and install a free passive ventilation into every new home it constructs at no additional cost.
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16 Building Innovations NZ