Research, Development and Outreach

Solutions for Low-Carbon and Circular Fit-Outs

The future of interior design is low carbon and circular. With evolving regulations around waste and carbon, and the average office and retail fit-out having a shelf life of less than 7 years, it is paramount that we implement systems designed to adapt for future uses. This mandate can be daunting. How do we balance the adoption of low-carbon materials with building systems that are sufficiently durable to withstand multiple life cycles? How can we ensure the spaces we create now are ready for the future? In this 40 minuite webinar Ged speaks to the practical implementation of these ideas, drawing from more than 30 large-scale fit-out projects delivered by XFrame over the past two years, all designed to meet the requirements of upfront low-carbon outlay and long-term suitability for reuse.

View the Webinar here.

Our 2023 Circular Economy Interior Design Guide

This guide aims to help architects, designers, and developers with the adoption of circular economy ideas. The guide covers fundamental circular design theory as applied to interior spaces. The 2023 version has been updated to include spatial planning advice for improved modular standardisation.

Download the guide here.

Tackling Waste in Construction

Building Out Waste 2021 highlighted the latest practical innovations, industry updates and inspiration from case studies to tackle waste in the construction and demolition sector. XFrame presented alongside Kāinga Ora, Naylor Love, Tamaki Regeneration, Habitat for Humanity, Jacobsen, Twin Solutions, McConnell Dowell, Mitre 10, Unitec, Ministry for the Environment and Re Fab Cabins.

View the presentations here.

PrefabNZ Webinar 2019

In 2019, the New Zealand government passed the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill. This legislation formally set the target of a net-zero carbon New Zealand by 2050. As the sector that consumes the most electricity and raw materials, and produces the most waste, the building industry has a significant role to play in aiding the New Zealand people to reach this net-zero target. This webinar will present a series of tangible modifications that can be made to a building during construction in order to reduce carbon emissions.

An easy-to-digest 15 minute presentation followed by a 25 minute Q&A.

Understanding the Challenges of Circular Economy through Full Scale Prototyping

This paper documents an attempt to translate best practice theoretical circular design recommendations into the real world. A ‘full-scale’ design-build project undertaken in late 2019 has been documented and critiqued with the aim of generating insights useful to those developing circular building systems and products. The paper documents the technical features of this prototype and critically reflects on the circular, economic and constructability performance of the completed building.

Read the publication here.

The Circular Economy - Teulo Pods

In these podcasts, Daniel Gudsell (Director of Abodo Wood Ltd) and Ged Finch (Director of XFrame Ltd) discuss the latest innovations in Circular Economy building technology and building products happening right here in New Zealand. Daniel shares his deep knowledge of the timber sector, the challenges of successfully commercialising high-performance sustainable building technologies and his company's contributions to moving the construction sector towards circularity. Ged discusses the strict technical requirements of the circular economy on building design, construction and specification, and shares key innovations that have been made in this area.

Listen to the podcasts here.