What does green leadership look like in the aged care space? Metlifecare and its pivotal 6x6 project provides a fantastic example
Essentials: 6x6 project
What: Six high dependency buildings targeting 6 Star Green Star certification in six Metlifecare retirement villages
Where: Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland / Northland
Owner: Metlifecare Retirement Villages Ltd; one of Aotearoa’s largest retirement community providers; current portfolio - 37 operating villages
Buildings often embody the sentiments of their owners. Such is the case with Metlifecare and its dynamic 6x6 dossier of high-performance care buildings.
The starting blocks for this ambitious 6x6 agenda was the development of a prototype - Weiti Care at Gulf Rise.
NZGBC Senior Manager Buildings and Communities Brad Crowley (right) presents the Green Star certificate for Weiti Care at Gulf Rise to Metlifecare CEO Earl Gasparich (left) and Head of Delivery Michael Lisowski (Centre)
Equipped with green principles, technologies and innovations Weiti has been the launchpad for an exceptional wider project.
eCubed Building Workshop consultant David Fullbrook, who has supplied GSAP and engineer services to four of the six care facilities, says Green Star propelled the prototype.
“The structure and repeatability of a Green Star framework allowed us to develop the Weiti Care prototype at an early stage, encompassing a series of features and credits that could be duplicated and reliably targeted across all six buildings.”
David says the aged care sector has historically been reluctant to embrace sustainability – but Metlifecare is breaking the mould.
"6x6 is about realising sustainable aged care at a portfolio scale. To be meaningful we need sustainability to be adopted at speed and at scale to meet environmental commitments and address the demographic trends and needs of Aotearoa’s aging population.”
“This project demonstrates how a portfolio-based approach to green building can be achieved and how quickly imperatives can be adjusted and adopted by a sector to bring good change.”
Metlifecare’s status as a leading force for sustainability has been shaped by a raft of factors:
- Its five year growth strategy (Full Potential Plan) underpinned with aspiring sustainability targets
- Stakeholder engagement insights – waste management, green building design, energy management, GHG emissions - are key concerns
- The refinancing and expanding of its debt with a $1.25 billion sustainability-linked loan (SLL) – with one of the KPIs being the delivery of 6x6 within five years
Metlifecare group design manager, Gemma James, says “the SLL has incentivised us to build our future care offerings to the highest level of Green Star rating possible in Aotearoa.”
She says Green Star is crucial to 6x6 and the company’s big picture journey.
“By pursuing our 6x6 Green Star certifications we’ve embarked on life cycle assessments which are laying the groundwork for our carbon reduction roadmap – an initiative advancing our sustainability efforts beyond the 6x6 project to target a 51.6% percent reduction in development carbon emissions by 2030.”
“Initial LCA data is helping us establish a strategic benchmark for carbon reduction and identify meaningful design opportunities. Green Star has also influenced our move away from gas to electric within our villages and the implementation of a company-wide waste diversion programme and gradual electrification of village vehicle fleets.”
Exciting green features across the 6x6 project include:
- Indoor air quality; enhanced mixed mode heat recovery ventilation with generous outdoor air quantities; supports better cognitive function; helps reduce the spread of Covid/ airborne diseases
- High standards of building envelope performance, energy efficiency and water conservation
- Natural light and lighting; benefits older residents; over 80 percent of main areas with high levels of natural light; 83 percent of main areas with high quality views
- CO2 heat pump hot water supply
- Acoustics; internal noise levels meet ambient noise levels; minimal sound transfer between spaces
- Largely prefabricated CLT construction and prefabricated bathroom pods (smarter, faster, safer, quieter construction methodology)
- Designed to operate with minimal energy consumption, water usage, waste generation and carbon emissions
- An integrated approach to incorporate physical, physiological and psychological wellness features
eCubed consultant David Fullbrook says the 6x6 environments have been designed to provide a positive therapeutic and physiological intervention, regardless of the type of health care the resident receives.
“Simple interventions to adjust the physical stimuli of light, noise and temperature are designed to improve their quality of life, experience and behaviour.”
Metlifecare says lessons learned through the design and construction of Weiti Care have been shared across 6x6 - including trackers for sustainable materials, Green Star construction communication sessions for contractors and consultant consistency.
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Gemma James says Metlifecare is “incredibly proud of its 6 Green Star targeted trajectory – with Weiti on the map as Aoteraoa’s first 6 Green Star As Built rated care and dementia facility.”
“We’ve packed so much into this unique building – it’s our springboard and inspiration for what’s to follow.”
Head of Delivery Michael Lisowski says one of the biggest benefits of earning a Green Star rating is “when we lead, we can inspire.”
“We hope to see our peers pushing for Green Star ratings because the more our industry utilises sustainable design - the more we can influence the future.”
6x6 Snapshot:
- 6x6 commenced in 2022 and is targeting full completion in 2027
- Weiti Care Building; Red Beach; 6 Green Star As Built certification; 36 suites (including 13 dementia suites); operational
- Oakridge Care Building; Kerikeri; 6 Green Star Design certification; targeting As Built; 65 care suites (including 15 dementia suites); operational
- Pohutukawa Landing Care Building; Beachlands; 6 Green Star Design certification; targeting As Built; 65 care suites (including 15 dementia suites); operational
- Ōtau Ridge Care Building; Clevedon; 6 Green Star Design certification; targeting As Built; 41 care suites; under construction
- Fairway Gardens Care Building; Botany; 6 Green Star Design certification; targeting As Built; 62 care suites (including 15 dementia suites); under construction
- Orion Point Care Building; Hobsonville; targeting 6 Green Star Design certification; 47 care suites; under construction