HIVE celebrates one year on

HIVE celebrates one year on

This weekend the HIVE Christchurch celebrates its first year as the country’s leading Home Innovation Village. Located at the Canterbury Agricultural Park and open from 10.00am-4.00pm on 6-7 April, the HIVE is having a FREE family event with all homes open for viewing, technical conversations and entertainment for the kids.

There are now nine completed buildings on display, each showing a range of architect-designed, high-quality, affordable, sustainable and rapidly delivered home options.

HIVE was facilitated by PrefabNZ and opened in 2012 in direct response to the devastating Canterbury earthquakes and the urgent need for high-quality permanent buildings. ‘At HIVE, all of the homes are made using the latest range of prefabricated techniques and it offers people the opportunity to get up-close and personal with high-quality, affordable designs in one place’, says Pamela Bell, CEO of PrefabNZ. ‘It can take the stress out of travelling from one location to another looking at housing options – HIVE is a one-stop shop. It is also a must-see for any prospective purchaser, savvy investor, developer, or architecture enthusiast.’

The Celebration Weekend is this weekend 6-7 April (10am-4pm) and will be a fun, family-friendly event, offering something for everyone including technical conversations with experts on-hand to answer your rebuild questions, such as ‘how do I make my home more sustainable?’, ‘what are my housing options?’, ‘how will my house perform in an earthquake?’ and more.

Located at the Curletts Road entrance of the Canterbury Agricultural Park (A&P Showgrounds) in Christchurch, the HIVE is only a short drive from the CBD and has buildings on display from:

• Laing Homes with Wilson & Hill “Smart House”– see www.laings.co.nz
• Keith Hay Homes with Architex– see www.architex.co.nz
• Falcon Construction with Allied Concrete “The Rakaia”– see www.falconconstruction.co.nz
• Lockwood EcoSmart “Little Wing House” – see www.lockwood.co.nz
• ModuleNZ with Bainbridge Homes “Waipaoa House” – see www.modulenz.co.nz
• The Warmhouse™ a collaboration between Beacon Pathway, New Zealand Steel and others – see www.beaconpathway.co.nz
• Building and Renovation Team (BART) – “The Kiosk” – see www.prefabnz.com/Hive/Kiosk-BART/
• Hybrid Homes EKOKIT “Toi Toi” – see www.ekokit.co.nz
• The Snug - see www.thesnug.co.nz

Prefabricated buildings have a long history in New Zealand, but there is still a lot of misconception over their use in both residential and commercial development. PrefabNZ has recently launched the Prefab Roadmap for New Zealand, a strategy document outlining the benefits to the economy and the end consumer in using prefab, or off-site, manufacturing techniques. ‘At HIVE, we aim to breakdown some of the outdated misconceptions and show people the benefits, both in sustainability and overall value’ says Pamela Bell.

HIVE – Home Innovation Village’s partners include Meridian Energy, Resene, Winstone Wallboards (GIB). Meridian is running a competition at HIVE’s Celebration Weekend for its customers, as well as a discounted coffee offer.

HIVE - Home Innovation Village’s normal hours of opening are Saturdays and Sunday 10-4pm. Viewing during the week is by appointment. See www.homeinnovation.co.nz for more info.

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