Proof of Concept.
Sometimes it’s just meant to be. When the opportunity arose to work with Forest Lodge Orchard – the world’s first zero-emission food producer – Flexi jumped at the chance.
The Flexi ethos centres around sustainability and doing better for our planet, a philosophy shared by Forest Lodge Orchard owners Mike and Rebecca Casey. From frost fighting fans to irrigation systems and mobile machinery, everything at Forest Lodge is operated using a 45kWh solar farm and battery array.
Flexi’s first full scale build has been commissioned by Mike and Rebecca, who are among the earliest adopters of the Flexi concept, as they look to accommodate seasonal orchard workers at their property 15km north of Cromwell.
Rather than undertake a one-to-one scale build in a factory as planned, the Caseys saw immediate potential in the Flexi concept and laid claim to the first Flexi house. Having a real client as a test case has helped to drive the design development and provided real insight on how to develop new and innovative design-build workflows.
After a site visit in early 2021, Mike, Rebecca, orchard manager Euan, and Flexi founder André Heller, settled upon a two-stage build schedule for worker accommodation. The first stage includes a mess hall, complete with multi-functional kitchen, living and dining space; two bathrooms; and a queen bedroom or bunk room.
Proof of the Flexi concept of ‘Build. Live. Grow.’, allowing rooms to be added and taken away as customers’ needs change, will come in the form of the second stage, in which an additional two bedrooms will be added to the completed first stage.
In a refreshing twist on the well-documented lengthy building consent delays, the first Flexi house was granted Building Consent in just three weeks, testament to thorough detail and accuracy in the developed and detailed design stages.
To further ease the compliance burden associated with home building and to dramatically speed up the process, Flexi’s ambition is to obtain a MultiProof consent for all councils and regulatory bodies across Aotearoa New Zealand. This means that any approved Flexi design will meet any local council’s regulations.
Since receiving building consent, progress has been rapid. Earthworks and other onsite preparations were undertaken – using an electric digger, of course – and the Surefoot foundations were completed in less than two days.
Nothing has motivated the team at Flexi quite like seeing the construction of the floor, wall and roof panels get underway at Makers Fabrication in Gracefield, Lower Hutt. Within the controlled warehouse environment, the quality and quick construction of all components is ensured with significantly reduced waste, errors, re-work, and without fear of weather delays.
Although offsite construction is not new to the industry, Flexi floor, wall and roof panels will be clad, glazed, insulated and finished at the factory build stage, eliminating the need for various time-consuming trades onsite, such as GIB fixing, plastering, and painting. The total offsite build time is estimated at around four weeks for the Casey’s build.
The panels for stage one of the build are currently under construction and will be shipped to Cromwell in early June. It is expected to be assembled onsite in just two to three weeks.
Once assembled, Forest Lodge Orchard will be the proud home of Flexi’s first build, and the ultimate, real-life proof of our concept: a prefabricated, component-based, flexible housing system that can grow and change with our customers’ needs.
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