Design guidelines
The Development Guide helps to ensure that all Housing New Zealand design and building projects meet our standards, and reflect our design principles.
The Development Guide is for everyone involved in construction or building work on Housing New Zealand homes. It provides a consistent development model and a set of performance-based design guidelines.
It describes Housing New Zealand's design and build process from start to finish, making it an indispensable guide for anyone working or thinking about working on one of our social housing projects.
Feedback
The Development Guide is continually evolving. We encourage feedback from designers, architects, builders, tradespeople and planners that have used the Guide. Send your comments to: assetregulations&standards@hnzc.co.nz.
The Development Guide includes design guides on specific topics, including:
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Development Guide
The Development Guide is a practical response to the challenge of raising the standard of social housing provided in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Building Code, associated standards and acceptable solutions set a minimum standard for housing provision in New Zealand. Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) recognises that relying solely on the Code is not sufficient for the provision of social housing.
The Development Guide provides a frame work that will raise the standard of housing that HNZC supplies.
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Design Guide - Urban
The formation of an urban design is a process that works from the large scale through to the detailed. This Guide shows a way of approaching this process.
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Design Guide - Site
Housing New Zealand is a long-term property owner, and is interested in the long-term utilisation of a site to its optimum capacity. This does not always translate into developing at maximum density. Housing New Zealand supports sustainable development.
The Site Design Guide aims to support development that optimises site potential through sympathetic site planning, and consideration of associated risks and benefits, resulting in a higher standard of housing for Housing New Zealand occupants.
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Design Guide - Rural
The Rural Design Guide is to be used as a guide for highlighting principles and processes that are unique to a rural situation. Unlike a town or city, housing provision in rural situations will often involve a community rather than an individual. (More often than not there is need for consultation with these communities, and for this reason community consultation has been highlighted in this guide as well).
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Design Guide - Architecture
HNZC retains its housing stock for a long time and therefore has an emphasis on sustainability, energy, efficiency and robustness of construction. HNZC requirements may exceed the New Zealand Building Code, and standards such as NZS 3604 Timber framed construction, which demonstrate minimum standards only.
The Architecture Design Guide concentrates on design principles. For specific solutions refer to the HNZC Housing Specifications, the NZBC, and relevant NZ Standards.
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Design Guide - Housing at Higher Densities
This guide shows the principles of good design for social housing at increased densities. It includes consideration of large-scale urban issues, site-specific decisions, and ways of using built elements to enhance housing outcomes. Additionally, the guide includes a list of links to useful websites and case studies.
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Ki Te Hau Kainga - New Perspectives on Maori Housing Solutions
New housing solutions tailored to the specific needs of Māori communities are fundamental to Māori social, cultural and economic aspirations of the 21st century. In all cases, it is essential Māori housing solutions are conceived, planned and delivered with the Māori community.
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Pacific Housing Design Guide
This condensed version of the Pacific Housing Design Guide is for specific use with the Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) Development Guide and aims to provide tangible solutions through design guidelines for creating better housing for Pacific people.
This Design Guide has been developed by Pacific designers in consultation with Pacific communities at the instigation of Housing New Zealand Corporation.
