Our EcoHub at 17 Lauderdale Road in Birkdale serves as our office, classroom and gathering place. This living building was rebuilt in 2022 and is now fit for purpose venue to help us achieve our vision.
Our main nursery is adjacent to our EcoHub and the Engine Bay Community Plant Nursery is on Bomb Point Drive in Hobsonville Point.
Every year, we eco-source, propagate and pot up tens of thousands of native plants to help restore the bush for our native birds, animals and plants, and remove carbon from our atmosphere. Our community-driven, chemical-free kaupapa is part of our regenerative, whole-system approach.
We welcome weekly volunteers at both nursery sites.
EcoHub - a smart new Living Building on home soil
Opening in late 2022, the new EcoHub is large enough to realise the community’s goals of a bustling EcoHub of learning, plus one that demonstrates zero waste de/construction and green building. Learning is more accessible and exciting, with a new classroom large enough to host up to 60 local school children at a time.
We thank Kaipātiki Local Board for funding this exciting project, and to Auckland Council, Landscape Architect Carl Pickens, Aspec Construction and Athfield Architects for bringing the EcoHub to life.
- Deconstruction: Design and construction considered 'Whole of Life' and future deconstruction. Where possible, elements have been screwed and bolted together (not glued) for ease of deconstruction and reuse.
- Photovoltaic PV System: A 16-panel 6.2kWp PV panel array on the roof to generate electricity. Surplus electricity sent to the grid, which can be drawn from. Constructed to allow for a future Tesla battery install.
- Urban Horticulture: A thriving native plant nursery to facilitate native ngahere around the building, including stream and estuary restoration.
- 9,000 L Water Tank: Located under the carpark area which collects nonpotable ‘grey’ water from the roof of the building. This supplies the external taps that service the hub and nursery.
- Recycled Rimu Flooring: Reused from a Christchurch building (except bathroom area). The floor finish ‘Bona Traffic HD’ has EMICODE EC1 with very low emissions certification.
- Thermal Performance: Warm roof with a metal tray roofing and building paper over unbroken PIR board layer and vapour control membrane. No ‘thermal breaks’ create a high level of thermal and acoustic performance.
- Oriented Strand Board (OSB): No lining of the interior walls with plasterboard, as OSB is manufactured from fast-growing trees, thus durable and sustainable, and does not contain ureaformaldehyde adhesives.
- Structure: Foundation is constructed of timber pole piles and a timber-suspended floor. The primary structure comprises timber glulam portal frames, beams and rafters, with timber framed infill walls.
- Enviro-Friendly Timber Treatment: Using only MCA (a far better alternative to CCA). MCA is arsenic-free and chromefree and can be reused if the building is deconstructed.
- Waste Management during Demolition & Construction: 46% of all construction and demolition waste was recycled.
