ER75 Adaptation of new buildings for climate change (2022)

Climate change predictions for New Zealand suggest wind speeds could increase by up to 10% in some parts of the country.

To understand how such a change could impact the design and construction of buildings this research has analysed the effect of increasing wind speeds by 5%, 10% and 15% on design solutions from key building Standards, NZS 3604, NZS 4223.4, NZS 4211, and E2/AS1.

It finds that New Zealand’s light timber-framed buildings are well placed to stand up to the impacts of increased wind speeds due to climate change based on current climate change projections.

Some changes may be required. But these would be minor changes in the dimensions and/or sizes of building members and components needed to resist a 15% increase in the design wind speed.

The costs associated with these minor changes are likely to be minimal.