The HIFraser Environmental Solutions team is working alongside Victoria University of Wellington to create one of the world’s most environmentally sustainable buildings.
The Living Pā, the redevelopment of Te Herenga Waka Marae, is about connecting to the past to inform the future. The space aims to be a symbol and extension of Māori values at the heart of a university campus. The redevelopment proposes to meet the internationally recognised Living Building Challenge for sustainable development principles.
The Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge is a high-performance certification framework that is considered the built environment’s most rigorous standard. Premised on evolving evidence of what is possible for green buildings, it is underpinned by two principles:
- Projects must be holistic and address seven performance criteria, known as petals.
- Project certification is based on actual rather than modelled or anticipated performance.
Essentially, it must generate all its own energy, use its own water systems, be entirely carbon-neutral and use non-toxic materials.
The three waters system captures rainwater to meet 100% of the buildings potable water needs. Greywater is recycled through both the planted filtration systems on the façade and streetscape planters, as well as in our vacuum toilets with any surplus being transferred to an adjacent building.
Together with our international partner EVAC, HIFraser has access to over 60 years of collective, worldwide experience in vacuum toilets and vacuum collection systems. We are playing our part in this project by supplying our Watermarked and 6-Star WELS rated vacuum toilets. Features include:
- Watermarked and 6-Star WELS rated
- Easy clean
- Low water consumption – 0.9 litres per flush
- Easy to maintain
- Fully pneumatic operation
- No electrical connections
- Flushing memory and vacuum guard
- Quietest flush on the vacuum toilet market
- Air suction protect (ASP) for safe use
With our vacuum toilet solution, there’s up to a 90% saving in flushing water. Watch how it works here.
Once the project is complete, students will be able to explore the Living Pā complex, watching monitors that display the energy and water consumption – a building ‘living’ in real time.
