Buildings or developments that illustrate the principles of the circular economy in an exceptional way.
Construction and demolition waste may represent up to 50% (6 million tonnes per year) of all waste to landfills in New Zealand. Consequently, the municipality of Kāinga Ora established an ambitious deconstruction and demolition programme, which aims to reuse or recycle up to 80%, or more, of uncontaminated materials by weight in Auckland and Northland development areas, and 60% of uncontaminated materials in all other regions.
The programme prioritises house relocation and deconstruction over demolition, wherever possible. Relocation enables a whole house to be repurposed, while deconstruction allows for greater reuse of materials. In 2021, Kāinga Ora expanded the relocation programme to cover at least 7% of all public houses removed from development areas nationally. These targets complement the Kāinga Ora Environment Strategy which includes a range of initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of construction and demolition on the environment.
The Kāinga Ora municipality completed its first public housing deconstruction project, where 8 houses were removed using deconstruction at a Mount Albert development in Auckland. The project achieved 85% diversion from landfill, diverting 203 tonnes of building construction and demolition waste. What’s more, the cost and duration of the deconstruction were found to be similar to conventional demolition.
