In pictures and video: The Forever House story so far
The Forever House might have been demolished and sent to landfill, instead its been relocated to Ara Education Charitable Trust (AECT) to be refurbished by students as a real-world hands-on learning project. Heres a recap of the progress and stories so far. Cinelle Nuku and other students at the Forever House are learning about solar technology. Once completed, the Forever House will have a solar system providing free hot water for the new owners of the home. On average, you can save up to a thousand dollars per annum. Normally a family of four can pay a system like this back in four years, says Dawid Strauss of Green Heat. Nuku, who attends James Cook High, has signed up to learn more. I want to put solar in my own house, he says. See the full story and video here Theres currently no legal obligation to provide curtains or thermal blinds in rental houses. This makes a home very hard to heat. There are simple curtain hacks you can do to get basic curtains to be more effective . Theres also a petition calling for curtains to be mandatory in rentals. Window Design Interiors is supplying AECTs Forever Home project with Duette Shades, thermal and noise insulating window blinds. We all need to live in warm and healthy homes, and effective window coverings are a practical solution that make a difference, says company director, Stephanie Murphy. See the full story and video here Volunteering gave me the confidence to apply for the position and the skills to go full-time as a firefighter, he says John Vazey, now a senior health, safety and wellbeing business partner at Auckland Airport. Are you a retired tradie? Can you help a younger generation? AECT is inviting volunteers to share their skills and knowledge on a one-off, or an ongoing, basis. See the full story and video here Peter Jones, Tumuaki / Principal of Manurewa High School has a plan to refurbish old desk frames using new tops, made with compressed recycled plastic from local startup Critical Design. Manurewa High is part of the collaboration of five schools involved in the amazing Ara Education Charitable Trust, explains Jones. Hes also talking with Critical and the AECT team about the possibility of using the panels in the Forever House. See the full story and video here Renovating a derelict house is no mean feat. Especially when much of the work is being done by students, learning as they go how to transform a building into a warm, liveable, sustainable home. Dr Sarah Redmond, director of the Trust, gives an account of progress so far. See the full story and video here Some of the students took time out from working on the Forever House project to build and paint a waste-sorting station, learning a few sustainable painting tips along the way. Full story and video here Around 12% of wall boards are estimated to be wasted at the point it is installed, with most offcuts heading straight to landfill. All the gypsum used in New Zealand plasterboard comes from Australia, says Mark Roberts, Senior Waste Planning Specialist, Auckland Council. Sending it to landfill wastes a precious resource we could be making better use of . See the full story and video here . Where theres no double- or triple-glazing, do-it-yourself plastic film insulation kits can cost-effective way to insulate windows against heat loss and to save on energy costs. We give several kits a go. See the f ull story and video here Bubble wrap otherwise known as bubble glazing is not pretty, but its effective and super easy to instal. You just use plain water spray to stick it up, and it comes off easily, making it good for rental situations, says Paul Wilson who has used it for the past two years. See the full story and video here When twin sisters Shonte and Trenneyce want to make improvements to their family home, chances are they can do the work themselves. Even better, theyve established themselves on a solid career path in the construction sector thanks to a supportive cadetship with AECT. See the full story and video here Cold, damp and expensive: New Zealands housing often seems to be in the news for the wrong reasons . What role can good design play in fixing our housing crisis? We know we're in a housing shortage, and we see the daily impacts on our young people because of it, says Redmond, director of AEHT. It really impacts on their ability to engage fully in education. While most of us sleep, house movers are busy working. Gary Andrews, of Andrews Housemovers, moved the Forever House to the AECT site. He says there are plenty of things people could be doing with older buildings, and more could be done to incentivise relocations, saving them from landfill and helping people into their first home. Read the full story and see the Forever House being moved here . See also, how the Forever House: Relocation is the ultimate upcycling project. See the full story and video here There is a lot of wood in older New Zealand houses, much of it precious native hardwoods including kauri, rimu and matai. Heres how to make better use of this precious resource. See the full story and video here Sustainable ways of renovating start with making the most of what is already there. Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. See the full story and video here . Building and renovating is a messy business, it seems. Half of New Zealands waste going to landfill is demolition and construction waste. See the full story and video here . Donated by Auckland Airport, this derelict house is being transformed into a warm, liveable, sustainable home. Stuff and our sponsors are supporting the Ara Education Charitable Trust (AECT) in this hands-on learning challenge. Once completed this year it will be auctioned, with all proceeds going back to the trust. See here how it all began. Ara Education Charitable Trust is an innovative collaboration creating work and training opportunities for South Auckland school-leavers. Click here to donate to this charity. Do you want to pass on skills and knowledge, donate time, or building materials? Get in touch with the team by emailing editor@foreverproject.co.nz