Green home stars get homebuyers approval

Media release September 20, 2012

Green home stars get homebuyers approval

New homes with Homestar green building ratings are proving popular with homebuyers, if the experience at Hobsonville Point is anything to go by.

New Zealand’s largest master-planned residential development today hosted leaders from the green building industry, and marked the sale of its 100th home in 10 months since sales began.

Hobsonville Land Company chief executive Chris Aiken said strong demand was helped by building warm, healthy quality homes that are energy and water efficient, as well as the quality of heritage, community and natural landscape planning at the site of the former Hobsonville Air Base on Auckland’s Waitemata harbour.

Developer of Hobsonville Point’s Buckley precinct AV Jennings says the rate of sales has been impressive by industry standards, and green building ratings and other quality benchmarks have played their part.

AVJ’s New Zealand project director Rod Chadwick said there was plenty of interest from the green building industry about the innovation taking place at Hobsonville Point and about the Project Information Centre in particular. The Project Information Centre achieves the New Zealand Green Building Council’s (NZGBC) 6 Homestar rating [check] and includes passive solar design, solar hot water heating and electricity, energy efficient lighting, double glazing,

rainwater tank connected to toilets, garden tap and laundry, edible landscape, wormfarm, and a washing line. Today’s site tour and industry discussion at Hobsonville Point is part of World Green Building Week, a programme of events considering how a green building approach can help meet New Zealand’s urban growth objectives. The session heard from Jane Henley, CEO of the World Green Building Council as well as other experts in the field. Homestar Director, Leigh Featherston, says “it is great to see developers and builders at Hobsonville Point have stepped up to meet the new green building standards that home buyers are looking for”.

A new primary school opens for the 2013 school year and a new secondary school for 2014. Both are targeting a 5 Star Green Star Education rating from the NZGBC.

The development has earned accolades for the design and development of its natural as well as community and urban landscapes – the most recent being an environmental award for work to improve roosting areas for sea birds at Chenier Ridge.

Mr Aiken said the environmental work at Chenier Ridge near Bomb Point that won HEB Landscapes the Hynds Group Environmental Excellence Award was the latest in a list of accolades.

Hobsonville Point’s Farmers Market, just 18 months old, was judged Auckland’s best farmers market in this year’s Taste Farmers Markets Awards.

Three builders at the Buckley precinct have won awards for their homes. GJ Gardner has won the group’s international award for the best show home. Jalcon Homes’ show home won Gold in the Registered Master Builders House of the

Year Awards with ‘best show home in Auckland’. And Universal Homes picked up a Bronze in House of the Year for homes at 7 and 9 Station Street.

ENDS

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