Charity raises funds for NZ's most sustainable building

17 Nov 2016

Resene is supporting charity group Sustainable Coastlines, which this month launched a crowd-funding campaign to help complete The Flagship Education Centre – an upcycled and re-locatable building planned for Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter. 

The campaign, run throughout the month of November through the Kickstarter website, asks supporters to make small or large contributions to help raise the $60,000 critically needed to finish this exciting project -- in return for a range of rewards. When completed, The Flagship could be the most sustainable building in New Zealand.

Back the campaign through their Kickstarter page. 

Made almost entirely from upcycled and salvaged materials, this purpose-built event, education and training space will be a showcase for sustainability, bringing a range of creative and inspiring projects to the area. Open to the public, The Flagship will grace the corner of Beaumont and Madden Streets from this summer.

After establishing the first stage of the education centre in April this year, Sustainable Coastlines now has final consents and is ready to complete the final stage of building. It simply needs supporters to help jump this final hurdle.

The funding from this campaign will ensure that the charity can reach its ambitious goal of registering the centre as a fully-certified ‘Living Building’ – the world’s most rigorous sustainable building certification.

The building is modular and transportable; designed to be moved to a new site after its time in Wynyard Quarter. The plans and strategy behind it will be open-sourced, creating a sustainable construction solution that can benefit communities globally.

The project also has a strong social output, with over 2500 pallets repurposed with assistance from Community Work offenders in partnership with the Department of Corrections. Salvaged timber and shipping containers have also been modified in the workshops of Auckland Prison, where offenders receive qualifications that are aimed to reduce re-offending and the associated burden on taxpayers.

The centre represents a major step for Sustainable Coastlines in its mission to help people look after waterways and coastlines by significantly increasing its ability to deliver the large-scale training, events and education needed. Find out more about Sustainable Coastlines and join their events at www.sustainablecoastlines.org.

Published: 17 Nov 2016