Golden Bay Hideaway

Eco-action Design and Build

Eco-action Design and Build is based at Golden Bay Hideaway and combines the forward, revolutionary thinking of sustainable building technology with all the pleasures of a beautiful holiday location. The unspoiled, natural attractions of beautiful Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman would be compelling enough for many, but if you are a builder, architect, engineer or just plain interested in eco-construction you will find this eye-opening. Why not come and experience sustainable housing in action?

Evolution to Revolution

Holiday at Golden Bay Hideaway and choose from three very different forms and flavours of accommodation. Lawrence McIntyre of Eco-action Design and Build has been involved in the building or renovation of each. The three accommodations can be seen as paralleling the evolution of his thinking and experience regarding construction.

1. 

   1. House Truck

   The first stage of this evolution is House Truck. It is well preserved, has real style and is a funky little gem; but from a builder’s point of view it requires lots of painting and other care to keep it nice.
2. 

   2. Hippie House

   Similarly the second stage in this evolution: Hippie house is a larger, more permanent structure with all the normal sewage and mains power facilities etc.

   It is now a well finished, fully permitted house and it too is bursting with charm… but again from a builder’s perspective, it entails a lot of unnecessary work. While its seven rooms on seven levels with multiple angles are imaginative, Lawrence is faced with a maintenance programme that reflects the needs of a building prone to leaking and vulnerable to the limitations of 2nd hand materials.
3. 

   3. Little Greenie

   That’s where the third evolutionary stage comes in and the true revolution begins. Little Greenie is a unification of low-energy, low-impact alternative building ideas with proven NZ building techniques. It utilises high-tech components (not gadgetry), with the principles of low energy and low maintenance requirements. It is designed to be long lasting – much longer than the average New Zealand home and is comparatively low in cost, given the building’s expected longevity and substantial energy and maintenance savings.

To the best of the knowledge of the trades people involved, Eco-action Design and Build believe they have the best easily available technology in NZ to create the best product possible at this time. They are open to be challenged for the good of the environment and of society… and hope you are too.