Our research capabilities

Our research capabilities

Deep expertise delivering trusted, evidence‑based building research.
Deep expertise delivering trusted, evidence‑based building research.

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Check out our skills!
Fire test being conducted

Fire research

Advancing fire-safe design and construction as buildings, materials and risks evolve.

Healthy homes research

Helping make homes healthier by investigating moisture, ventilation and thermal comfort.

Materials research

Evaluating how construction materials perform over time and influence building outcomes.

Behavioural, economic and sector insights

Exploring how people, markets and policy settings shape building outcomes.

Structural and seismic engineering research

Achieving safer, more resilient buildings through evidence on structural and seismic performance.

Sustainability research

Research and tools to reduce carbon emissions and support low‑carbon, sustainable buildings.
Learn HEEPs about healthy homes
Healthy homes
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BRANZ's HEEP2 study – energy use & living conditions in NZ homes

2 mins
The latest insights on the sector

Social sciences & data

Sector insights reports

We produce three core reports that help inform decision making across the sector. Together, they provide practical insight, evidence‑based analysis and forward‑looking perspectives on emerging issues, risks and opportunities. Our reports are designed to support industry, policy makers and stakeholders with clear, trusted information they can act on.

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Fire research

Evolving with the times

BRANZ fire research and experimental capabilities focus on how buildings and building systems behave in fire – and how to reduce risk and improve performance. Our work evolves alongside the emergence of new materials and the evolution of New Zealand building practices.
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The latest insights on the sector

Structural & seismic

Calling time on hollow-core concrete floors

After the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake highlighted vulnerabilities in precast concrete hollow-core floors, BRANZ researchers contributed to the Building Research Levy-funded ReCast Floors collaboration. The programme investigated how these floors behave in earthquakes and developed retrofit methods. This is just one of many BRANZ research projects contributing to a more resilient built environment.

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