A boost in extraordinary times: Chinese construction businesses compete to shine at annual expo

A boost in extraordinary times: Chinese construction businesses compete to shine at annual expo

The emergence of the COVID pandemic, rapid technological advances and changes in our living environment… profound changes are quietly taking place in how people live and inhabit their homes. Against this backdrop, the 2021 New Zealand International Building Expo, which concluded successfully at the Vodafone Events Centre on 7 August, chose the theme “Shaping future living together — building together, living together”. With a vision of “building a new way of life together”, it showcased numerous new ideas to accelerate, simplify and improve the future development of New Zealand’s construction industry, driving innovation for the future across the local and international construction sectors.
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As one of New Zealand’s largest and most influential construction industry expos, this event covered more than 1000 square metres and featured over 100 exhibiting businesses. The exhibition fit-out was upgraded to provide exhibitors with a platform to explain and promote their brand philosophies, while also striving to present the look and feel of a major international expo.

The Innovation technology zone attracted particular attention, with exhibitors spanning the entire industry supply chain. A diverse range of new products made their debut, covering low-carbon, environmentally friendly building materials, cutting-edge design, new energy, technology products and smart tools. Beyond the themed zone, exhibitors from numerous construction-related fields, including architectural design, finance and insurance, and property management, also gathered at the venue, competing to shine and together creating an unrivalled industry showcase. 

As a longstanding core partner and diamond sponsor of the organiser, the New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association (NZCBIA), PlaceMakers presented construction professionals with a range of powerful online tools designed to simplify ordering and make work easier for customers. Through PlaceMakers’ Trade Portal and Trade App, users can check orders and delivery progress, calculate material requirements, add team members, view trade prices and skip queues at the counter, truly saving time and effort!

As the New Zealand agent for Germany’s Bravat and China’s Midea, Argus Engineering had the largest exhibition space in the Innovation technology zone. Together with its New Zealand strategic partner RCR Infrastructure, Argus displayed several products addressing gaps in the New Zealand market. These included Midea’s mini VRF multi-split air-conditioning system and its Puro-Air Kit, designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus and various other bacteria and viruses through indoor ventilation systems. Argus is also the exclusive New Zealand agent for the renowned German bathroom brand Bravat. At the expo, it showcased comprehensive smart bathroom solutions that combine the precision of German manufacturing with stylish design.

Founded in 2016, property research platform Relab joined NZIBES for the first time this year and was undoubtedly a highlight of the Innovation zone. Relab is a one-stop big data platform designed for property professionals. It focuses on bringing together all property data and providing the information needed for market research, project feasibility studies and the early stages of due diligence. Relab.co.nz has created a market-first online SaaS tool to simplify and streamline property due diligence and subdivision feasibility assessments, allowing projects to proceed more quickly and efficiently. Relab also offers Unitary Plan details, world-class topographical maps, underground services information, sales histories, an automated valuation model (AVM), advanced search and easy online title ordering. Through professional property big data analysis, Relab aims to help users stay ahead and seize opportunities in a rapidly changing market.

Amid today’s material shortages, efficient, energy-saving, low-carbon and environmentally friendly building materials can be a winning advantage in construction. At the expo, Prostone Consulting Limited partnered with Metra Construction Panel to showcase Metra panels, made from New Zealand pine fibres left over from timber processing, making them environmentally friendly and energy efficient. These panels can increase on-site construction speed by 60% (allowing a 160-square-metre house to be completed within six weeks). By eliminating framing and lining, they can also increase the building’s usable floor area to 7.5%.

KONE is one of the world’s largest lift companies and a global leader in the lift and escalator industry. Named by Forbes as one of the world’s most innovative companies for several consecutive years, KONE is committed to creating better cities and more sustainable living environments. This philosophy aligns with the expo’s theme of “building a new way of life together”. At the exhibition, its DX series lifts, incorporating many of KONE’s latest innovations, demonstrated the future trend of integrating smart lifts with building management systems.

NZCBIA President Frank Xu said: “Environmental changes, technological advances and the emergence of the COVID pandemic are subtly changing how we live. At the same time, changes in urban density and the popularity of apartment living are having a major impact on many aspects of the industry, including building materials, design and development. Through this event, we sincerely hope to bring more new ideas for sustainable development to New Zealand’s construction industry, inject fresh energy into traditional construction and provide better solutions. We therefore encourage all sponsors and exhibitors to contribute fresh thinking, new ideas, new products, technologies and services to the development of New Zealand’s construction industry.”