A wānanga on the Kāpiti Coast aims to be the second in Aotearoa and the 24th in the world to gain the Living Building certification.
Te Wānanga o Raukawa this month announced it would be starting work to redevelop its Ōtaki campus and meet the international green building certification programme.
It aims to be the second in Aotearoa to meet the standard, with Te Kura Whare, the Tūhoe iwi headquarters in Tāneatua the only other certified Living Building in New Zealand
Under the Living Building Challenge (LBC) guidelines, each build must hit seven performance areas: site, water, energy, health, materials, equity, and beauty.
Rawiri Richmond, Kaihautū of Te Whare Manaaki Whenua at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, told Te Karere the wānanga is aiming to be carbon positive, not just carbon neutral.
“We’re actually giving back to the taiao in the end.”
The rebuild will be completed in two phases. In phase one, four new buildings, a car park and a courtyard will be built.
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The newer part of the campus will also use solar power to produce 105% of its daily energy needs, capture rainwater, treat sewage on site, and have extensive planting of rongoā (medicinal native flora) and hua rākau (fruit trees).
Phase one is expected to be completed in around March 2023, with phase two to begin in 2025.
Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University announced in December 2021 that it would be re-building its marae under the LBC principles.
By complying with the standards, the upgrade aims to make the marae a ‘Living Pā’ that stores and captures carbon, which is expected to be completed in 2024.
There are currently 115 LBC certified projects underway around the world.
Source : NEWS
