Designing out waste at Wellington High School
Rather than managing waste once materials arrive on site, what if it could be designed out before construction even begins?
Supported by a Wellington City Council Waste Minimisation Fund grant, our Wellington High School project team undertook a designing out waste study exploring how BIM and digital coordination could optimise the building envelope before construction commenced.
Detailed modelling of the cladding, rigid air barriers and pre-nailed timber framing allowed the team to optimise layouts and sizing, reducing around 6 cubic metres of timber and requiring fewer sheets of cladding.
As an early three-storey adaptation of the Ministry of Education’s proposed standardised design, the project has generated valuable lessons that can be shared with the Ministry and wider industry, demonstrating how digital delivery can help reduce waste and improve efficiency across Aotearoa.
