Imagine beaches that are free from rubbish, healthy rivers that we can swim in, and people everywhere who are inspired to look after the places we love. This is the vision of non-profit group Sustainable Coastlines. The charity recently launched a crowd-funding campaign to help complete The Flagship Education Centre – a unique and ambitious re-locatable building planned for Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, and they need your help.
The campaign, run throughout the month of November through the Kickstarter website, asks supporters to make small or large contributions to help raise the $60,000 critically needed to finish this exciting project — in return for a range of rewards. When completed, The Flagship could be the most sustainable building in New Zealand.
Made almost entirely from upcycled and salvaged materials, this purpose-built event, education and training space will be a showcase for sustainability, bringing a range of creative and inspiring projects to the area. Open to the public, The Flagship will grace the corner of Beaumont and Madden Streets from this summer.
After establishing the first stage of the education centre in April this year, Sustainable Coastlines now has final consents and is ready to complete the final stage of building. It simply needs supporters to help jump this final hurdle.
The funding from this campaign will ensure that the charity can reach its ambitious goal of registering the centre as a fully-certified ‘Living Building’ – the world’s most rigorous sustainable building certification.
The building is modular and transportable; designed to be moved to a new site after its time in Wynyard Quarter. The plans and strategy behind it will be open-sourced, creating a sustainable construction solution that can benefit communities globally.
The project also has a strong social output, with more than 2,500 pallets repurposed with assistance from community work offenders in partnership with the Department of Corrections. Salvaged timber and shipping containers have been modified in the workshops of Auckland Prison, where offenders also study towards qualifications that are aimed to support them into employment on their release and reduce re-offending.
The ideal location for this transitional project has been made possible by the landowner Panuku Development Auckland, whose assistance in making the site available and collaboration has helped make its concept a reality.
The centre represents a major step for Sustainable Coastlines in its mission to help people look after waterways and coastlines by significantly increasing its ability to deliver the large-scale training and education needed.