Fosters’ Bay of Plenty team has successfully completed stage 1 of the Metlifecare Somervale redevelopment project. The new amenities block, the first in the region to achieve a 7 Homestar built rating, sets a new standard for sustainable building in the Bay.
“This 7 Homestar rating is a proud first for Fosters,” said CEO Nigel Sun. “It demonstrates our commitment to creating built environments where communities thrive.”
An impressive 5,833sqm, the three-storey building features 30 apartments and a range of central amenities. The vision being for a state-of-the-art centre that would revitalise the village, providing residents with a modern, comfortable community space.
For a building of this size, the rating is a fantastic achievement; a strong indicator of the building’s health, efficiency, and sustainability, performance assessed in areas such as energy use, water conservation, waste management, and indoor air quality.
It also means that Somervale residents enjoy high standards of healthy and environmentally friendly living.
Key sustainable features include:
- Fibre-reinforced concrete reducing over 55 tonnes of steel whilst maintaining thermal bridging.
- A Mass Timber superstructure lowering embodied carbon and increasing carbon storage.
- Diverting over 80% of construction waste from landfill.
- A smart façade design leveraging natural light and solar pathways.
- Use of environmentally certified materials like roofing and low VOC paint and flooring.
- Water-efficient fixtures and LED lighting for energy savings.
- No gas amenities, reducing operational carbon.
“Projects like this change the way we think, innovate and recycle in construction, providing valuable lessons for our team and the industry,” Sun concludes. “We’re excited to apply these learnings to future builds.”