Nz’s Most Sustainable Garden Centre To Open In Auckland

The country’s most innovative and sustainable garden centre is set to open its doors this week (13 July).

Kings Plant Barn’s architecturally designed concept store promises to set a new standard and experience for plant buying and will trial new ways to connect people with plants.

Located in Stonefields in Auckland, this ground-breaking garden centre was master planned by award-winning Cheshire Architects, the creative minds behind high profile commercial sites such as Britomart, The Britomart Hotel and City Works Depot.

“Stonefields is the first major step in a project of continuous reinvention for Kings – a project turning garden centres into urban epicentres supporting, and delighting in, the reconciliation of humanity and nature” says Nat Cheshire of Cheshire Architects. “Stonefields provides Kings with a platform for experimentation and innovation in pursuit of that beautiful future.”

“We have started by evolving Kings’ eponymous Barn, sheathing a plant-based primary structure with a skin that harvests solar energy from every surface. Inside, Kings have a light-filled, energy-infused space within which to celebrate nature and provide gardening inspiration to all people – from children to green-thumbed professionals.”

Sustainability is at the heart of the design of the store, which boasts low embodied building materials, locally made fixtures that use sustainable timber, solar panels which provide the entirety of the stores daytime energy, irrigation systems that incorporate water reuse and new plastic recycling initiatives including a partnership with Future Post. The store also has an electric fleet.

“Kings Plant Barn is committed to helping cultivate a greener future for New Zealand. From the building design to our operations, we have looked at all areas of this store through a sustainability lens to make it the most sustainable garden centre in the country,” says Kings Plant Barn general manager Chris Hall.

The store, which spans some 2800m2, includes a Garden Kitchen café with a seasonal menu focusing on locally grown produce, plant-based options and root-to-stem dishes. Children are also catered for with an all-weather playground made from sustainable and recycled materials.

Adding to Cheshire Architects expertise is top New Zealand landscape designer Xanthe White. White developed the planting plan for the concept store to ensure the plants can thrive in the right environments and help inspire customers throughout their journey.

Kings Plant Barn Stonefields has display zones where customers can see plants in-situ in living, dining and office spaces. This new way of shopping will inspire shoppers and give them great ideas to take home.

An all-new and stand-out feature of the store is the New Zealand Designer Showcase section where local creatives will have a platform to display and sell their products, with 100 percent of the profits being returned to the designer. The Designer Showcase is run in partnership with the renowned General Collective and will feature a different Kiwi designer each month, selling unique gifts and plant inspired homeware.

Personal customer consultations are also on offer at the new Kings Plant Barn Stonefields store. Customers looking for garden design advice can meet with experts in-store or consult with a Plant Doctor on-site to get the answers to all their plant-care and gardening queries. Plant Doctor home visits will also be on offer.

“We also have a potting up area where garden enthusiasts can learn to pot or repot plants, a DIY terrarium bar and a drive-through collection point for those looking for added shopping convenience,” says Mr Hall. “It’s a new experience for plant lovers of all ages.”

© Scoop Media