Once Ōtākaro Orchard Hub is built it will be self-funding. We’re creating a new model for charities, breaking the cycle of hand outs, freeing Ōtākaro Orchard from continual requests for public funding, and making a space for business opportunities to blossom.
At the heart of the Orchard will be our local food hub, a beautiful space created to the world’s most rigorous standards for sustainable building. The building is aiming for Living Building certification and will be a space that gives more than it takes from our environment.
The building includes green roofs, solar energy, rainwater tanks, grey water recycling, composting toilets, and is built with almost entirely non-toxic materials. Reclaimed materials include Elm from Hagley Park and pavers from Victoria Square; the walls will be built with 3,750 adobe bricks handmade by 109 volunteers.
