We recently opened the much anticipated Levene Lodge staff accommodation!
Named after our patron Sir David Levene and blessed by Te Ātiawa, the lodge has been sustainably designed to house our instructors and have a light footprint.
The project was completed as part of Project Refresh and includes five, one bedroom units.
Simon Graney, OB School Director, says the ecologically sound building was constructed in line with Outward Bound’s Kaupapa and core value of Kaitiakitanga.
“Respecting the interconnectedness of our world by preserving and protecting the natural environment for future generations underpinned this project.
“Our vision was to construct a building for use as staff accommodation that are very low maintenance, have minimal effects on the environment, and are as energy efficient as possible.”
He says the objective was to save 75% of the total energy required in a typical accommodation building that does not have energy efficient systems installed.
"Prevention is better than cure. It is better to prevent a building getting cold rather than cure the problem by increased heating."
The buildings are designed to have minimal heating requirements. This is achieved by positioning the buildings to obtain passive heat from the sun by having large double glazed windows and ranch sliders on the northern side of the house.
“Solar Water Heating combined with an air-to-water heat pump now ensures that our team of instructors can live in warm, comfortable and healthy home that help them to perform their highly skilled and highly valued roles - unlocking the true potential of all Kiwis who attend Outward Bound."
Levene Lodge was built with proceeds from Project Refresh Anakiwa, Outward Bound’s largest fundraising project which raised $4 million, ensuring the lodge upgrade and a new double watch house for students at Anakiwa.
“Our priority is to future proof our school’s assets so New Zealanders will continue to benefit from our world class facilities in the coming decades,” said Simon.