Sustainable Habitat Challenge
Home » Blog » Sophie Bond » Sustainable Habitat ChallengeThe Sustainable Habitat Challenge asked teams from around New Zealand to design, fund and build their vision for more sustainable housing.
Winner of the Retrofit section. Photo from www.shac.org.nz
A retrofit of a Housing New Zealand house and a straw bale abode were judged the winners of the Sustainable Habitat Challenge last week in Port Chalmers. Nine teams from around the country entered resulting in eight new builds and retrofits.
The challenge was established by Otago Polytechnic and supported by the Ministry for the Environment. It required teams, led by tertiary institutions, to consider issues such as resource efficiency, simplicity and affordability
The winner of the Retrofit section was Team Housewise. The team, made up of members from University of Auckland, Housing New Zealand and Landcare Research, explored how an existing house could be upgraded to provide a more comfortable, healthy and sustainable living experience for a family.
Team Central Otago were the winners of the New Build section. The straw bale house made extensive use of recycled and natural materials and included such technical challenges as a 5-tonne masonry stove and a sauna.
A short book describing the homes in the competition and the methods used in their construction is available for download or order at www.shac.org.nz. A documentary is underway and will be available on DVD soon.
