REINVENTING THE HUB
Or
THE GEN Y LIBRARY and
REGENERATIVE ARCHITECTURE

*
international presence

‘NEW ZEALAND WANTS TO
BECOME THE WORLDS’ FIRST
FULLY SUSTAINABLE
COUNTRY’
USGBC Conference Nov 2008
Rebecca Flora – 2008 Chairperson

TEMPERATE CLIMATE
200 EARTHQUAKES/ ANNUM
HIGH RAINFALL – 1.2 – 5.0 METRES/ ANNUM
2,500 SUNSHINE HOURS/ ANNUM
Source: NIWA

268,676 SQ. KMS
4.2 MILLION PEOPLE
8TH LARGEST CARBON FOOTPRINT –WORLD-WIDE
DISCOVERED BY MAORI – 1,000 YEARS AGO
EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT – 180 YEARS AGO
Source: NZ Govt./ NZGBC/ UNEP

s..
About 3000 kms.. that way…
guy
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Th
is
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..
And this bit..

"Spiritually the Waikato River is constant, enduring and perpetual. It brings us
peace in times of stress, relieves us from illness and pain, cleanses and purifies
our bodies and souls from the many problems that surround us."
WAIKATO RIVER
––Te Kaapo Tuwhakaea Clark

Paraparaumu Library – Kapiti Coast

Whangaparaoa Library - Auckland

Riccarton Library - Christchurch

PROJECT SPACE REQUIREMENTS
• UOW Preliminary Design Brief dated April 2007
• 800-850 formal and informal study spaces
• New student focussed Information Mall
• New Knowledge Commons/ 13,500 lineal metres of book shelving
• Revamped Shops area
• Better internal/ external access
• 2,900 lineal metres of Archival storage
• 1,300 m2 of staff office space
• Up to 15 new retail and social spaces
• New north facing plaza and new East-West access

DESIGN COMPETITION
• Won in 2004
• UOW created in 1964 from farmland
• Land now owned by local Maori tribe-
Tai Nui
• Unique campus – 25% Polynesian
• 11,000 Students
• 1,200 Staff
• First University to bring Internet -1987

COMING TOGETHER OF TWO CULTURES

Existing Context

Existing Context

Existing Context

Existing Context

University of Waikato Site Plan

ADAPTING THE GEN-Y LIBRARY..
CHANGING FROM LIBRARIANS… TO INFORMATION LIBERATORS…

THE NE(X)T GENERATION…
Also known as the Thumb Gen, the Net Gen
or Gen Y.
Children aged 6 and under spend, on
average:
• 2 hours a day playing outside
• 2 hours a day using screen media
• 40 minutes a day being read to/ reading
Of children aged 6 and under:
• 48% of children have used a computer
• 27% of 4-6 year olds use a computer
daily
• 39% use a computer several times
a week
• 30% have played video games
Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003

THE NEW FOCUS…
The human body now exists on two levels; the
physical body seeks human contact, a social
interaction with the physical and natural world
whilst our new virtual body responds to the new
electronic environment seeking information. And it
is through these dual bodies that we connect to
each other and the city.
Toyo Ito- Architect
Each week 250,000 (1 in 16) New Zealanders
visit a library
Chris Szekely –NZ National Library
It appears New Zealanders (and Canadians?)
believe in libraries and the idea of a shared,
communal, free public information service…
UOA SAC – AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

NZGBC BASIC TOOL • A ‘tick box’ exercise
• Not a design tool
• But WILL affect design
decisions
• New parameters
• New obligations
• New legal precedents
• Requires architects to have a
wider knowledge including peak
energy demand/ VOC levels/
mutagens and carcinogens…
• Can’t NOT question other
consultant decisions.
• Commitment from all
consultants AND contractor
• Have to WANT to do it
otherwise….

THE PROCESS…EVENTUALLY
• GreenStar system follows
standard world wide pattern
• But may be changing –LEED
2009…
• Based on 3rd Party review
• All inclusive
• Heavy engineering and
contractor involvement – see it
as a commercial opportunity.
• National tool for each country
• Can be tailored for each
building sectors unique
attributes/ industry
• Very business friendly…maybe
too much

Level 0 Plan - Shops - Concept

Shops looking East – Vision – Stage 1

Shops looking East –Vision – Stage 2

Shops looking East –Reality – Stage 1

SOME OBSERVATIONS
Contractor enthusiastic participant - critical
• UOW – cutting/ bleeding edge…
• UOW Standard Brief – setting minimum standards
• EXCEED the NZ Green Building Council ‘limits’
• Pilot project with NZGBC
• Low or high hanging fruit defined
• All PCB’s and asbestos stripped out
• Innovation: Re-use/ recycle rimu, spoil and carpet
• All rainwater filtered and stored on site

Shops looking West – Reality – Stage 2

“Successful solutions must result from
‘going for it’ rather than worrying about
the cost-effectiveness of every single
item.”
Bill Bordass -2009

ESD FEATURES
• 25% of all cement aggregate from recycled sources
• 20% of cement replaced with Huntly fly-ash
• 96% of all timber FSC certified
• 100% of all insulation NZEC certified
• Zero VOC paints –CarboNZero certified supplier
• Low energy lights and chiller unit
• Maximum 60 kWhrs/ m2/ annum energy performance
• Existing building refurbished for another 50 years
• Low VOC adhesives, sealers, tanking.
• Strict environmental spec for furniture in excess of ‘GreenStar’

Level 1 Plan – M Block

Level 1-2 – South Atrium

Level 2 Plan – M Block

Level 2-4 - Atrium

Levels 3-4 Plan – M Block

EAST WING SCREEN
• 6 Green Star rated
• 50 kw of electricity generated
on site
• 80% self sufficient in hot
water
• 100% self sufficient in non-
potable water
• Broadband wireless
throughout
• Indoor/ outdoor flow!
• Multi-media/ multi-function
spaces
• Cultural expression
• Centred within campus

Level 2-4 – East Wing

NO COMPROMISE
(THEN COMPROMISE…A LITTLE BIT)

ESD FEATURES
• 172 180 kw PV panels on the roof -5-10% max.
• Largest building mounted wind turbine – viable?
• Carpets – 100% recycled old carpets
• Tiles – 100% waste glass
• Insulation – 100% recycled polystyrene
• Existing timber linings 100% recycled
• BIPVT experimental PV array on roof
• SHW panel array – exceeds building requirements
• Bolted together

North East corner looking South -Vision

Thank you