C40 Reinventing Cities
C40 is a global competition initiative to stimulate zero-carbon, sustainable and resilient projects by responding to 10 climate challenges. Auckland City Council was selected for the 2019 edition of C40 with a design competition for the Falls/Alderman pair of sites in the western borough of Henderson.
Both sites are currently asphalted carparks with permissive height limits and the brief called for a desirable and economically viable housing project that would demonstrate local best practice for zero-carbon residential densification.
Studio Nord were part of the Te Kōpua consortium with Sills van Bohemen, Re/volve, Resilio Studio, Tricia Love Consultants, Sust, GWE, and Te Kawerau a Maki that was shortlisted, competed in and eventually won the Auckland C40 competition.
The scheme proposed 68 apartment units of different typologies in varied urban blocks of 4-5 stories with ancillary commercial spaces, a community hub and shared landscaping.
The project rose to the C40 climate challenges with these design strategies:
- Efficient building form & thermal envelope
- A micro-grid incorporating onsite extensive PV generation and energy storage distributing energy
- Efficient centralised hot water production
- Low carbon material selections and construction techniques
- Systematic management of the ‘3 waters’ as expressed in Te ao Māori - wastewater, stormwater and rainwater
- Wastewater processed on site in an innovative ‘living machine’ based on phytoremediation, using living plants to clean up water.
The buildings are expected to be zero carbon, realising a total reduction in lifetime carbon emissions of 97% when compared with a standard development in New Zealand of similar scale and density. The project is currently in the hands of Te Kōpua’s property development partner and is ongoing.
