Architect Jimmi O’Toole, co-founder of Good Good housing, shares his vision for a better, greener way to build and live.
My partner Charlotte and I have felt for years that there’s a lot of room for improvement with medium-density housing in Aotearoa, with a need for more socially and environmentally considered outcomes.
I experienced density done well when I lived in Amsterdam and London, and my architecture practice ahha has a mission to transform the impact of the built environment. When we discovered the perfect site in Birkenhead, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, this sparked Good Good’s first project: Tūī Glen.
Tūī Glen aims to be Aotearoa’s most sustainable standalone housing development; we’re striving for the NZGBC’s Homestar v5 10-star rating. The project will be a sustainable build, but we also want it to regenerate the surrounding land and ecology, and for the homes to be largely self-sufficient. The development will have a positive impact long after the last nail goes in.
It’s important that the design contributes to residents’ wellbeing. As well as having zero yearly projected operating costs, homes will have natural, simple, thoughtful and playful details to make everyday life meaningful.
Rather than typical two-metre-high fencing, we’ll use planting and positioning to create privacy, so there’s flexibility and connection when desired. This community element is also fostered through shared areas such as the edible gardens and bike shed. The homes will all share the native bush that covers a third of the site, allowing for conservation, enjoyment and, when thinking about my young family, hours of exploring!
goodgoodhousing.co.nz/tuiglen