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.
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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.
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