Te Ngaengae Pool + Fitness, a new community facility in Lower Hutt, is New Zealand’s first aquatic facility to be awarded a prestigious sustainability rating.

Awarded a 5 Green Star rating for its environmentally sustainable design by the New Zealand Green Building Council, the certification represents New Zealand excellence in sustainable building.

Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry said he was incredibly proud of the achievement which will contribute to Council’s commitment to being carbon neutral by 2050.

"Te Ngaengae will lead the way when it comes to environmental sustainability. The pool sets a new benchmark for sustainable public facilities in Aotearoa, showing what’s possible when we align design with our environmental values.

From its energy efficient design to its innovative carbon reduction measures, Te Ngaengae meets today’s needs while protecting the environment for future generations."

Te Ngaengae will open on 4 December with a community celebration on 7 December.

New Zealand Green Building Council chief executive Andrew Eagles said it’s fantastic to see this leadership showing the way forward for other councils.

"As the community looks to beat the heat at the pool this summer, they can be safe in the knowledge that the centre is doing its best to help combat a heating climate. Congratulations to all involved in this outstanding achievement.

"Sustainable, efficient social infrastructure such as museums, libraries, sports halls and swimming pools provide a brilliant opportunity to reduce ongoing running costs for ratepayers, while ensuring healthy, comfortable spaces for people to enjoy."

Council worked with Callaghan Innovation to support Te Ngaengae to target the sustainability rating.

Green Star is Australasia’s largest voluntary rating system for non-residential buildings, fit outs and communities.

The old Naenae Pool, which closed in 2019, produced 546 tonnes of carbon emissions each year from its electricity and gas-powered pool heating and ventilation systems - equal to driving 3.28 million kilometres in a diesel car.

Despite the building’s footprint being more than 25% larger than the old pool, expected annual carbon emissions are 28% lower than the old facility. Emissions are expected to reduce further as New Zealand’s electricity production becomes more renewable. The innovative design and efficiency measures include heat pumps for heating water, LED lighting, insulation, and ways to manage temperature and humidity.

There is also highly efficient filtration and continuous water quality monitoring, ensuring the correct amount of water is used. This drastically reduces the water consumption, the chemicals required for water treatment, and the energy to heat it, while maintaining excellent pool water quality.

Other sustainability features include:

• Secure bike stands to encourage low carbon mobility options
• Using glued laminated timber from a sustainable source for the main pool hall structures
• Reduced heat gain by using sun-shading, low roof line, smaller windows and high efficiency glazing
• Stainless steel pool tanks, involving less embodied carbon than concrete base/walls
• Timber framing and lightweight fabric ceilings
• Focus on sustainable and healthy materials used in the building
• EV parks with charging points for up to four cars.

The $68 million facility, one of Lower Hutt’s most significant infrastructure projects, received $27 million in funding from central government through a partnership with Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP) via the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group Fund.

The Local Government Funding Agency also granted the project a green, social and sustainability loan - saving the council $20,500 annually in funding costs.

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