An ordinary looking building site in Glenorchy is, in fact, the beginning of something quite extraordinary. Tracey Roxburgh reports.
Something pretty special's happening in Glenorchy.
To passers-by it looks like any other building site, but what is going on in Oban St, Glenorchy, at the top of Lake Wakatipu, is a New Zealand first.
This is the first stage of the "Glenorchy Marketplace'' project that first came to public attention in February last year, when United States philanthropists Paul and Debbi Brainerd applied for resource consent.
That application was for "Camp Glenorchy'', a camping ground that would meet Net Zero energy certification criteria, the world's highest standard for environmental sustainability.
That means, in short, the camping ground will produce more energy than it uses.
While harnessing solar power and capturing water is not ground-breaking, the way it will be done here is impressive.
A tour of the site with general manager Steve Hewland starts in the solar power "garden'', which at present consists of 44-gallon drums, orange pipes woven around their bases.
The drums have been recycled to form foundations for posts that will hold solar panels, sloped to emulate the mountains around them.
In the middle of the "garden'', underground, is the wastewater treatment system where water from kitchen sinks and dishwashers, and from basins, showers and washing machines, will be treated in a man-made wetland system.
The water will then be used for irrigation.
Rainwater will be collected and treated to drinking water standards before being used in showers, sinks and basins.
"We're reusing as much water as we can,'' Mr Hewland says.
"We're recycling roof water into tanks, which is also treated, and when we run out of that then we'll use the town supply.''
Composting toilets, on their way from the United States, will sit at ground level and all waste will be collected in units in basement areas of the cabins and ablutions block.
Fans remove odour from the waterless systems by sucking air down and, within 12 to 18 months, "the compost is ready''.
The compost will be the highest grade, so technically could be used on vegetable gardens but Mr Hewland says it won't be, at least, not yet.
Two bunk huts and seven two-bedroom cabins with ensuites are being built.
Solar tubes on the roofs will provide underfloor heating and hot water in the cabins and, when the sun is not out, ground source heat pumps, which use geothermal energy from under ground, will provide backup.
Solar panels will produce electricity to power the low-energy fixtures, including LED lighting.
The cabins are being built to ensure their thermal performance is second to none.
"There's a lot of insulation - it's a 60% improvement on code in terms of thermal performance,'' Mr Hewland says.
"We're doing our best to maintain the energy within the building.''
As much as possible is being recycled and reused on site, including rocks excavated during the first phase of construction, which will be used for drainage and landscaping.
Everything removed from the site is weighed and accounted for.
Net Zero certification meets one aspect of the seven-part
Living Building Challenge (LBC), and the Glenorchy Marketplace Project is trying to meet as many of the other parts of the LBC as it can.
One of the most challenging is the materials.
Under the LBC, 20 chemicals are banned because of concerns about their impact on health, specifically, that they can cause cancer.
"New Zealand doesn't have access to a lot of alternatives, so we're having to import a lot of materials that are safe.''
One example is conduit piping.
Traditionally PVC pipes are used, but PVC contains a banned chemical, so it is out.
Abodo timber is used in the cabins because the more common, green, tanalised timber, which is treated with copper chromium arsenic, is banned, as are most silicone sealants available in NZ.
All of the buildings' product information will be made publicly available to help others who want to follow suit.
Mr Hewland says the project is as much about educating people about sustainable choices as it is about environmentally friendly building practices.
Each cabin will be fitted with an iPad to help connect users' decisions with the impact on the environment, showing how much energy the site is producing and how much their cabin is using.
"Our housekeepers will be able to say 'we'll turn the laundry machines on when we're in a state of excess energy'.''
Guests can choose to check in as "eco warriors'', meaning their cabin temperature will be slightly lower and showers, all set to timers, will be slightly shorter.
The technology will be integrated into the reservation system, so the day before guests arrive each cabin will know how much heat to generate.
"We won't create hot water for the cabin unless we know there's going to be guests in there [and] warm it up in enough time for their check-in.''
Because enough water for three days can be stored at any one time, unexpected guests will not have to worry about cold showers and their rooms can be heated quickly.
Mr Hewland says, to the best of his knowledge, no-one else in the accommodation sector is doing anything quite like it.
He won't be drawn on the capital cost of the build, but says it is not really a factor.
"It's quite a lot more expensive ... [but] Paul and Debbi Brainerd are doing this to educate.
"Because we're paving the way - it's ground-breaking stuff - it's costing us more.
"It's not something you can buy off the shelf.
"[But] it's not about the cost of improving environmental performance; it's a philanthropic exercise.''
Case in point: all profits from Camp Glenorchy and The Glenorchy Marketplace Project will go to the Glenorchy Community Trust, directed by a group of residents at the top of the lake.
The trust will then direct the money back to different projects.
While it will not produce any real profit for several years, the trust has been set up as a legal entity, with $20,000 available to kick-start the fund.
It has been a "long road'' but "the vast majority'' of Glenorchy residents are behind the project, Mr Hewland says.
"The reaction from the community's been really positive, especially now the walls are starting to go up.
"There are some people still that don't want to see us here [and] a lot of people were on the fence ... but just through our decisions and doing what we said we would, it shows our integrity.''
The hope is to fill a gap in the Glenorchy accommodation market.
"We get 125,000 visitors a year - that's increasing ... A vast majority drive up, then drive away.
"We're hoping to encourage more people to come in slower seasons [and] encourage more people to stay.''
At a glance
What: Camp Glenorchy is the first phase of the three-stage "philanthropic'' project called Glenorchy Marketplace.
Stage two will be a general store, a multi-purpose classroom/movie theatre, a garden classroom and an artist-in-residence workshop.
Stage three, still to be finalised, will include up to 14 four-star cottages to replace 20 original cabins.
Who: Paul and Debbi Brainerd, who made their fortune in desktop publishing.
Where: Oban St, Glenorchy, on the site of the former Glenorchy Holiday Park.
When: Expected to be open in about 12 months.
