  We present a construction of non-Abelian gauge theories on the R^4 x S^1/Z_2
orbifold. We show that no divergent boundary mass term for the Higgs field,
identified with some of the fifth dimensional components of the gauge field, is
generated. The formulation of the theories on the lattice requires only
Dirichlet boundary conditions that specify the breaking of the gauge group. The
first simulations in order to resolve the issue whether these theories can be
used at low energy as weakly interacting effective theories have been
performed. In case of a positive answer, these theories could provide us with a
new framework for studying electroweak symmetry breaking.
