FROM SPREADSHEETS TO INTEGRATED DESIGN: Free design tool launching June 2026
Mid-Rise Wood Construction and Nezo Partner to Deliver Game-Changing Carbon, Cost and Mass Analysis Tool for New Zealand’s Building Industry
Mid-Rise Wood Construction (MRWC) has announced a landmark partnership with Christchurch-based design technology startup Nezo, formerly V-Quest, to create a first-of-its-kind digital tool that integrates carbon, cost, and mass measurement directly into architectural and engineering workflows.
Set to launch in June 2026, the free tool will provide access for architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, and project managers across New Zealand, removing one of the biggest barriers to widespread adoption of carbon analysis in early-stage building design.
Tackling an Industry-Wide Challenge
Architects are increasingly expected to provide high-level indications of embodied carbon, costs, and mass during early-stage concept and schematic design. However, there has been a lack of easy-to-use, workflow-integrated tools that make this process practical.
Unlike traditional spreadsheet-based tools, the Nezo platform will:
Automate material quantity estimation from conceptual geometry
Reduce manual data entry and errors
Improve the accuracy of embodied carbon results with verified, standardised datasets
Integrate with leading design platforms including ArchiCad, Revit, and potentially other design platforms.
The result is faster, more accurate insights that enable clearer client conversations, informed decision-making, and greater visibility of low-carbon design options, including timber construction.
Industry-Wide BenefitS
Through its refined library of pre-generated building use types—such as apartments, classrooms, and multi-unit residential buildings—the tool will allow professionals to compare multiple methodologies across carbon, cost, and mass outcomes.
By making the solution cloud-based and free to access, the partnership ensures that smaller practices and independent professionals can adopt carbon measurement as standard practice without budget or resourcing barriers.
“This partnership is about leveling the playing field,” said Peter Clarke, Independent Chair of the MRWC programme. “By embedding carbon, cost, and mass analysis into everyday design workflows, we’re helping the industry shift from passive design choices to proactive, low-carbon exploration at the earliest stages of design.”
Driving Behaviour Change
The collaboration between MRWC and Nezo is set to accelerate the normalisation of carbon-conscious design across the sector. By integrating design analytics into existing workflows, the tool eliminates the need for manual transposition of data, reduces reliance on static calculators, and increases the consistency of results across projects.
“Our vision is a construction industry where data-driven confidence fuels every decision a designer makes - leading to better performance, better buildings and a healthier planet”, said Barry Lynch, Nezo CEO & Co-founder. “By providing this tool at no cost, we’re ensuring that sustainability is not just aspirational, but achievable.”
About Nezo
Founded in 2022, Christchurch-based startup Nezo, formerly V-Quest, develops design-integrated technology to address inefficiencies in the building industry. Its solutions combine supercharged analytics with existing tools to give designers greater insight into material performance, sustainability impacts, and opportunities for improvement. Visit the Nezo website here.
