Victorious

A design team including several alumni is helping drive the Living Pā development, which will also be one of the world's most environmentally responsible buildings.

The Living Pā is the planned redevelopment of the Te Herenga Waka Marae including the five villas spanning 42–50 Kelburn Parade. It will be transformed into a multipurpose space for teaching, learning, research, and engagement, following mātauranga Māori and sustainability philosophies.

“A living building gives back as much as it takes from the environment,” says building scientist and alumnus Patrick Arnold, noting that it is a more ambitious benchmark than a ‘green’ building. “A green building is ‘less bad’. A living building strives to raise the bar, they try to be actually 'good' for the environment’.

Structural engineer Alistair Cattanach, who has been involved with university development projects for over 20 years, says flexible use of space and reusable materials are guiding principles of living buildings. He has used timber extensively in projects and says timber technology has progressed in “leaps and bounds over the last 15 years”. The Living Pā’s timber frame is designed to withstand strong earthquakes and can be easily reconfigured, reducing the need for repairs or renovations that result in large-scale waste.

The living buildings standards focus on critical high-level goals, including making a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of people and the natural environment. Monitors and visual displays of the Living Pā’s performance will increase awareness and personal responsibility for water and energy consumption. “The building is going to be an educator in its own right,” says Ewan.

Alistair agrees. “You want people to play with the building,” he says. “The idea is that they learn, and the building learns, so things get better.” The Living Pā will be a high performance building— as people occupy and engage with their surroundings, the light, heating, and ventilation in response to their needs, the building will anticipate those preferences over time to provide comfortable conditions.

Patrick says that throughout history, buildings were designed to work passively. “In the last 100 years, we’ve forgotten much of that. People now expect the same level of comfort day in, day out, making buildings inefficient and expensive to service.” By contrast, a living building doesn’t require continual servicing. “The building responds to the environment so that the external environment does the bulk of the heavy lifting for internal conditions.” Central light wells and opening windows provide natural light and ventilation, solar panels generate energy, and insulation moderates temperature fluctuations.

The principles embedded in living buildings resonate strongly with Māori. Ewan says this is due to the “kaupapa of kaitiakitanga”—or stewardship—also one of Te Herenga Waka’s values. Developers tend to look for short-term returns, whereas  Māori often place value in return over generations. Institutions like universities also invest for the long term.

It is also anticipated that the Living Pā will strengthen people’s understanding of place, connection to Papatūānuku, and relationship with the natural environment. Ewan says “buildings are meant to tell stories” and that the Living Pā’s transparent ground floor allows the carved wharenui to be visible from Kelburn Parade. It’s an idea that speaks to the university’s iho, or ‘essence’.

But with leadership comes responsibility. “By the time we’re in our thirties, we’re making decisions that will outlive us,” says Patrick. “My grandkids are going to have to live with this building. I want them to  still be proud of it, because they are what matter.”