BuildIntegrated Hybrid Construction System

NZ Building History

For the first 140 years of NZ history, heart native timber was the principal framing & structural material used to build houses. 

Houses were built on piles off the ground allowing air to circulate underneath the house and through the framing to remove humidity, dampness, radon gas and & VOC’s. 

These early houses were built-in locations not subject to flooding, liquefaction, geopathic stress & built with materials that emit VOC’s, built under or close to high tension power lines, next to transformers & transmission stations that are known to create electric magnetic fields.  

The majority of these early houses were extremely robust & have stood the test of time, including several earthquakes as they were exterior clad with structural heart timber weatherboard with timber-clad internal walls.

Leaky Mouldy Houses

Over the last forty years, the principal materials used in house construction have included organic softwood framing, built on a non-insulated concrete floor with structurally inadequate cement or plastic exterior sheathing & interior cardboard covered gypsum plasterboards.  

Due to the damp and often humid climate, these organic materials have provided food for toxic mould & wood rot. Toxic mould is recognised as the principal cause of house environment human respiratory illnesses that cause unnecessary pain & death, costing billions in annual healthcare and an estimated 47 billion in house replacement and repairs. 

Radon gas is absorbed by the majority of these building materials particularly concrete & radon can build up to ten times in interior concentration in particular in geothermal areas such as the Bay of Plenty, which has one of the highest incidences of cancer in the world. 

The soft-wood framing moves in an earthquake loosening the nailing & springing the frames & both the exterior & interior cladding fastening systems with the entire house requiring demolition.  

Building Code Changes

Architects, material suppliers, builders & other industry leaders have recommended that it’s well past time to update the building code to build only with structural & sustainable materials that are environmentally healthy to the human occupants.   

For human health & safety, environmental, sustainable, quality, & cost reasons Future House has chosen not to use the current industry preferred soft-wood framing located on concrete flooring with plasterboard linings however with the recent global introduction & application of a unique low cost and non-toxic, invisible, antimicrobial product, softwood timber & plasterboard claddings can now be safely used in house construction. 

The product has been proven through extensive university tests to be non-toxic, non-carcinogenic & non-corrosive to humans & as a result of its physical, mechanical action to achieve an almost permanent seven log kill of 140 types of pathogens including deadly viruses, bacteria and fungi.    

The timber is simply treated by pre-soaking before framing. After framing & the exterior cladding is attached, the closed-in structure is then further electrostatically sprayed with the product.  The plasterboard is also antimicrobial electrostatically sprayed on both sides before installation. 

Land Subdivision  

Unsustainable Subdivision

Central & Local Government RMA & building consent processes often take several years, creating developers initial holding costs & loss of rental income of up to $100,000 or more.
The duplication of consultant report preparation & council review fees is now approaching a further $100,000.
Unnecessary & expensive, environmentally damaging earthworks to build foundations, stormwater & off-site sewage disposal & supply of potable water altogether is now approaching a further $100,000
Subdivision costs can now total almost $300,000 with the further ongoing prohibitive & long term unsustainable cost of the council water supply & sewerage disposal plus the Councils further annual rate bill.

Environmental Solution

Certify independent qualified Urban Designers to prepare & oversee the development of sustainable satellite towns, villages & new suburbs each with their internal infrastructure, commercial activities, transport & job creation

Sections are to be marked by a central peg with an internal ownership square, oblong or radius. The land in between the marked areas to be jointly owned & maintained by a community trust. No fences with native planted privacy screens. 

To minimise earthworks increase the permitted building height by 2 metres, build on piles with maximum earthwork cuts of no more than 1.6m to minimise leaching & retaining.

Sustainable Solution

On-site rainwater is to be harvested & supplemented with approved water-saving appliances & greywater processing. 

Recycle & reuse, black water after approved treatment with on-site community land disposal.  

Vertically follow the sun, solar panels with a back-up diesel generator supplemented with the approved use of energy-saving appliances. 

Develop raised vegetable gardens, locate a hothouse, plant an orchard & further landscape with edible planting, 

The project can now achieve a total subdivision cost of less than $60,000 with open book internal cost-sharing of both land maintenance & utility costs. 

Integrated Hybrid Construction System

Hybrid buildings have the potential to be beautifully designed & crafted. Off-site factory manufacture ensures both quality control & high productivity cost savings in the assembly of the fit-out of the component & module construction elements with further ease in transportation & installation efficiencies. 

Future House ensures the best use of affordable, renewable, eco-conscious environmentally & human health building materials. The materials are long life, robust, lighter, provide smoke & fire protection, superior insulation & don’t absorb & emit known cancer-causing VOC’s, EMFs, & radon.  

All house designs are around an efficient grid that provides the best internal layout for access hallways, lounge, dining, kitchen, bedroom & en-suite areas with ultimate space utilisation for locating furniture. Duplication of the design, working drawings, specifications & renderings all provide further efficiencies.

In just one day the adjustable foundations are installed. The floor/ceiling cassettes and structural posts the next day, roof components the third day, the internal walls, stairs & en-suites the fourth day and the complete factory finished exterior & interior Structural Insulated Panels the fifth day. 

Modern materials are used in the structural internal geometrical twenty wall vertical cross further supported with hybrid horizontal floor & ceiling cassettes. The engineered design provides outstanding customisation options for floor plans, depths and column locations to twelve levels.

Skilled labourers fit showers, toilets & sinks into the individual components with attention to detail. Two labourers and one builder can install two quality en-suites back to back on a factory assembled wet wall in one morning, eliminating ten processes, eight trades & up to 80% of the traditional build cost.

To withstand severe weather & earthquakes & to ensure durability to reduce maintenance only permanent pre-coloured ceramic exterior wall panels with decorative features, selected window fittings, entry doors, external decks & awnings are factory installed in the Integrated Hybrid Construction components.

The Future House hybrid components are premade in a controlled environment, shipped & installed on-site, significantly reducing the amount of construction site waste. The combination of energy-efficient materials ensures low operating costs & efficient insulation reduces cooling and heating costs.

The mixed-use content includes, residential, office, showroom, retail, food & beverage occupation means less travel for residents saving in fuel & parking costs. With less noise, pollution & available on-site recreational facilities, investors, tenants & owners can all enjoy the live, work & play lifestyle.  

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1. Adjustable Foundations
The ‘One Day’ installation of the adjustable, replaceable, galvanised protected steel pile foundation components with alternative ceramic options is job-specific and engineered & designed according to the soil conditions of each site to ensure all compliance and building regulations. The engineering principles are calculated on the pile technology using a combination of skin friction & point bearing. A patented plate secures pins in place, resulting in a foundation spreading over a greater area achieving larger load capacities.
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2. Floor & Ceiling Cassettes
The clear-span floor & ceiling cassette system combines all the required elements including trusses, strong backs & sheathing into a large but manageable insulated cassette panel. The cassettes & roofing components are delivered to the site, & placed one on top of the other on the foundations to form complete working platforms. The construction posts are inserted through the female floor brackets & secured into the female pile posts ready after each floor's internal fit-out for lifting & securing into position on the appropriate levels in just hours.
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3. Precision Structural Framing
The structurally robust clear-span 3.6m wide up to twelve levels locking system built in a vertical geometrical post & cassette cross is an ideal solution for the efficient design, fabrication, modular & brace-free construction that provides reduced congestion for floor plans & layout. This technology provides fewer working hours; the plug & play modules accelerate design allowing construction to complete in just weeks instead of months or years. The lighter & safer non-combustible structural elements are manufactured with precision and enable the other building components to be factory-built and on-site installed.
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4. Internal Component Installation
The internal penthouse walls, en-suites, stairs & roof components are installed without the need for scaffolding, before jacking & securing into position. The sub-penthouse & then in order, the lower-level components are internally installed & positioned. Bedrooms have back to back en-suites placed on internal structural wet walls installed with shower, toilet, hand basin, cabinet & ventilation components. Expensive trade charge-out & time costs are reduced by up to 80% with the factory manufacture & on-site installation of the structural & internal fit-out components.
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5. SIP Floors, Walls & Ceilings
Exterior profiles of historical or modern buildings can be incorporated or added to feature the required architectural period with other cedar or weatherboard exterior cladding, walls with washed or formed elements, long-run metal sidings, stone or tile surfaced panels. The ceramic or MgO clad SIP walls are non-porous, super-strong & independently tested to withstand severe earthquakes and cyclones & are complete with internal services with no ongoing painting & maintenance required. When delivered to the site and erected, the exterior & interior walls, floors, ceilings, windows, doors and roofing panels are attached to the floor & ceiling cassettes & structural frames replacing more than 20 separate conventional construction processes.
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6. Composite Insulation
The 1mm ceramic material is laminated to either side of fire retardant rigid EPS foam or mineralised HUD insulation to engineering tolerances in a factory environment. The factory machine extruded insulated panels provide a quieter safe, non-nutrient, fire & smoke-proof, sustainable house that is warm in winter and cool in summer providing long-term energy savings at a fraction of the build cost of conventional construction. The panels contain no organic material that is vulnerable to moisture, mould and fungal decay.
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7. Door & Window Panels
Welcoming entry doors with distinct panel design or crafted using a solid painted finish to add colour with glass or decorative inserts are installed to provide a continuous walled Structural Insulated Panel home. Internal doors, including cavity slider doors, can be incorporated into the panels to provide a seamless finish. The windows are manufactured under strict environmental regulations to exceed standard offerings resulting in reduced heat loss. The window design & materials used provide a greener, warmer, quieter, & safer, environment which does not contribute to deforestation or habitat destruction.
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8. Fit-out & Furnishing
The Escape BnB entrance hall, stairs & lift provide access with private access to the studios. Modular kitchens are installed with quality, cost-effective cabinets, water & energy saving appliances & whiteware. Under the tilt beds storage, in tall & low-boy drawers & a spacious 2.7 cubic metre wardrobe. The 3.6m x 4.6m bedsits provide ample space for the ensuite, storage units, a desk & chairs. The weatherproof balcony has a watertight roof with optional louvre, glass or fabric wall closures, a table & six chairs or lounge seating, refrigerator & deep freeze, food prep, wash up & cooking facilities.