Our latest homes are also designed to meet New Zealand’s demand for new community housing.

Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (ŌCHT) is opening more innovative community housing designed for tenant wellbeing and long-term environmental sustainability.

ŌCHT will officially open six new, 2-bedroom homes in Halswell, on September 7. It’s ŌCHT’s 12th community of new homes and its first in the city’s fast-growing southwest.

The homes are designed and built by Naylor Love. They combine ŌCHT’s specifications with building innovations Naylor Love plans to deliver elsewhere in New Zealand.

ŌCHT chief executive Cate Kearney says the modern, architecturally designed homes establish a new benchmark while providing security and opportunities for families in need.

“They’re beautiful family homes whose innovations promote great living and tenant health and wellbeing. They really are homes that’ll help build great futures.”

The open-plan homes are a variant of Naylor Love’s Mahana House design, developed as a resource and time efficient response to community housing demand nationally.

Naylor Love community living project director Craig Dixon says the response applies biophilic design to bring the outside in while providing generous, warm and healthy space for family living.

Utilising robust, low-maintenance materials and building to exceed current building and thermal efficiency standards means they’ll be cheaper to maintain, with an enduringly low carbon footprint.

“Having a low carbon footprint isn’t just about the build – which in this case is better than carbon neutral – but about the life of the home, so the homes are designed and built to be cheap and efficient to run for tenants and for the Trust, which reduces operational carbon over its lifetime,” Mr Dixon says.

“This is a win for the people who’ll live there, for the Trust because of the long-term reduced impact on its resources, and for sustainability. Community housing is in it for the long term, so sustainability has to be valued.”

The resource-efficient build utilised offsite pre-nail and Nail Laminate Timber manufacture/computerised numerical control cutting to reduce waste and improve the prefabrication programme.

The wall linings are of high-pressure laminate, which is much more durable than plasterboard. They have high insulation-value roof panels, high performing thermal glazing, and there is additional insulation in the framework.

They have a balanced air ventilation and heat exchanger system that runs consistently and efficiently, taking out stale air and bringing fresh air into living and bedrooms.

The homes have a New Zealand Green Building Council Homestar 7 rating. ŌCHT general manager property and development Ed Leeson says they’ll be warm, dry and efficient to run for years to come.

“They’re packed with innovations but most importantly for us, they’re attractive, modern houses that’ll be warm, dry and efficient to run for the families who’ll call them home,” Mr Leeson says.

“Naylor Love has helped us deliver new homes that set a new standard and further ŌCHT’s aim to progressively and significantly improve community housing in our city.”

The new community will be home to families previously on the Ministry of Social Development’s Public Housing Register. About a quarter of the people on the register in Christchurch need two bedrooms.

All of ŌCHT’s new communities include family homes, whether they’re built on bare land or replace old or earthquake-damaged complexes of single bedroom units.

Ms Kearney says a safe and secure home is the basic foundation from which a family can thrive. ŌCHT is absolutely committed to providing more family homes as its building programme grows.

“The new homes provide wonderful opportunities to for families, in an established community that’s close to so many services,” Ms Kearney says.

“The nearest school is just a quick scoot or bike ride away, and the nearby bus stop makes access to nearby recreation, healthcare and shops is even easier.

“We’re grateful to the community that supports us, and we look forward to welcoming new tenants into a community they will call home.”

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development supports the development and ŌCHT is contracted to provide homes for people on the Public Housing Register.

Since 2019, ŌCHT’s opened 235 new homes in Opawa, Hornby, Waltham, Sydenham, St Martins, New Brighton, Richmond, St Albans and now, Halswell.