50 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT McMillan & Lockwood - Palmerston North:Te Wananga O Raukawa Unique challenges to campus project T T Karen Phelps The project at the Otaki campus is stage one of a redevelopment of the campus to be environmentally friendly following the seven performance areas of The Living Building Challenge – site, water, energy, health, materials, equity, and beauty. Building one of New Zealand’s first The Living Building Challenge certified buildings at the Ōtaki campus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa has not been without its challenges, says McMillan Lockwood project manager Ben Law. “Almost none of the materials are ‘off the shelf’,” he says. “Every single material has to be specifically checked to make sure it meets the standard.” As an example PVC piping also doesn’t meet The Living Building Challenge criteria and cannot be used for the underground services so instead high-density polyethylene piping has been chosen. But this comes in a roll, instead of neatly cut lengths as the more commonly used PVC piping does, and doesn’t come with fittings. This means joins have had to be avoided where possible and when they are necessary non-PVC tape used. “So I had to google to try to find a tape we could use then the tape had to be approved by the design team so we needed a list of every product used to make the tape and the process of manufacture. It took weeks to identify that the sticky part of the tape didn’t have any nasty chemicals in it,” he says. It would be easy for this to be a frustration to the build process but Ben says it is quite the opposite. “The design team at architect Tennent Brown has been great and they’ve checked the products specified out during the design process. They have a scientific researcher in their office whose job it is to research the products as they are also working on a The Living Building Challenge project for Victoria University. “For the odd product that unexpectedly pops up as necessary during the build, such as the non-PVC tape, we have to work collaboratively together to find solutions and often Tennent Brown has come up with an option.” The project at the Ōtaki campus of Te Wānanga o Raukawa is stage one of a redevelopment of the campus to be environmentally friendly following the seven performance areas of The Living Building Challenge: site, water, energy, health, materials, equity, and beauty. The criteria of The Living Building Challenge is different to the more commonly used Green Building Council process and The International Living Future Institute, which has developed The Living Building Challenge, is described as a global non-profit organisation whose mission is to advance communities that are socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative. The project comprises four new buildings, a car park and a courtyard. One building is for management and administration staff, and the others will be classrooms and offices for teaching staff. Other features of the project include making the campus pedestrian friendly encouraging walking, cycling etc. The newer part of campus will produce 105% of its daily energy needs thanks to solar power, capturing rainwater for all potable and non-potable needs, treating sewage on site, and plantings of rongoā (medicinal native flora) and hua rākau (fruit trees). Located on the Kapiti Coast, Te Wānanga o Raukawa is a unique centre of higher learning devoted to the world of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). McMillan & Lockwood was also the contractors for the construction of Te Ara a Tāwhaki, currently the newest building on the campus housing the library, a lecture theatre and the student hub, which included elements of The Living Building Challenge, so came to the current project with some experience. He said building in this way requires extreme organisation, planning, attention to detail and strong levels of collaboration. McMillan & Lockwood and Pritchards Civil Engineers started on site in November and the project is earmarked for completion March 2023. When the project ends The Living Building Challenge work will continue. The project will be also be monitored after construction and the carbon performance measured for a year with data used to achieve the certification. The targeted result is a carbon positive site with green, healthy buildings. Ben thinks project such as this might make manufacturers think more deeply about how their products are produced and the materials they contain. Depending on future trends this might translate into more environmentally friendly products and building practices. “The client has been the leader in this project and they take stewardship of the land very seriously. While a normal construction process is harmful to the environment a The Living Building Challenge project provides positive benefit, both during the construction and in terms of the building performance for its lifespan. We’re proud to be part of a project in small town New Zealand for a client that seeks to be future facing, looking at the bigger picture and showing genuine action to reflect its principles. To be honest this is probably the way all buildings should be built.” Contact John Pritchard today to discuss your project: Phone: 021 755 155 or Email: john@pritchardcivil.co.nz Servicing the Kapiti area extending to Wellington and Palmerston North • Project Management • Bulk Earthworks • Topsoil Screening and Supply • Building Siteworks • Roading • Drainage • Surveying We offer a large range of services to assist you with your next project: Civil Construction & Earthworks
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