SHAC, the Sustainable Habitat Challenge, is a nation-wide project for collaborative, tertiary led teams to design, develop, and build sustainable housing in their local community.

The challenge is a great opportunity to link theory with practice, for low energy, low resource housing. It will demonstrate that we are able to live our lives using fewer resources than we do at present.

Visit the SHAC website and view the video highlighting the 2009 projects.

View the SHAC timeline (PDF).

Building a better way flyer

• SHAC Team Newsletter September 2009
• SHAC Media Pack December 2008 
• SHAC Newsletter September 2008
• SHAC Team Details September 2008

To view and print this information which is in Portable Document format (PDF), you will need Adobe Acrobat. This is available for free downloading from the Adobe website. 

TEAMS 

• Team Dunedin, Dunedin (New build)
  Otago Polytechnic, University of Otago
• Whareuku, Lake Rotoiti (New build)
  University of Auckland
• Team Waikato, Hamilton (New Build)
  Wintec
• Team Housewise, Auckland (New build)
  Housing New Zealand, Lancare Research, University of Auckland
• The Plant Room, Wellington (Retrofit)
  Victoria University, Massey Univeristy, Weltec
• Team Canterbury, Christchurch (New Build)
  CPIT, University of Canterbury, and Lincoln University
• Team Central Otago, Clyde (New build)
  Otago Polytechnic
• Te Hira Whanau Bach 101, Rangitoto Island, Auckland (Retrofit)
  Te Hira Whanau & UNITEC / ScALA / Te Hononga
• Unitec EcoBach, Auckland (New build)
  Unitec
• zero.plus, Auckland (New build)
  The University of Auckland, School of Architecture and Planning

Please visit the SHAC website for a description of each team.

Otago Polytechnic’s passionate students and expert staff have teamed up with local professionals to take part in a challenging national project to build a more sustainable home.

The Sustainable Habitat Challenge (SHAC 09) is a ‘design’ and ‘build’ competition created by Otago Polytechnic. The challenge for each SHAC team is to design and build a house and environs that fsupport a more sustainable way of life. Otago Polytechnic believes that a more sustainable way of life has fewer requirements for scarce resources and is a delightful improvement on how we live our lives.

The Otago Polytechnic SHAC 09 project promotes a cycle of thinking and doing that supports collaboration, exploring innovative ideas and inspiring capability.  By contributing to a team, and competing with other teams from around the country, students will develop priceless skills and insights greatly valued by future employers.

Ten nationwide teams taking part in the competition and two of these are from Otago Polytechnic.  The other teams come from Unitec, Wintec, University of Victoria, University of Canterbury and the University of Auckland.  SHAC 09 gives students the ability to interact with and compete against top students from across the country.