Invited single-stage competition
The NZ Clean Energy Centre at Taupo commenced as an invited design competition, with a brief for a sustainable, iconic building as a research and innovation hub, showcasing the clean energy technologies available in the central plateau area, including geothermal, hydro-electric, wind, and bio-fuel-based power.
The Clean Energy Centre was proposed as the first stage of technology park and tertiary education campus.
The design incorporated an array of strategies and technologies, including photovoltaic panels as windowshades, geothermal heating to the floor slab, concrete incorporating waste fly-ash in place of cement, heavy timber construction including a solid, laminated timber floor, straw-bale walls, rainwater harvesting, and windmill-generated electricity.
