Source
https://www.earthsong.org.nz/resources/documents — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood — staged whole-project capital costs (World Habitat Award submission)
Advances RT_308 — the first real NZ intentional-community whole-project build-cost anchor
Primary Earthsong document (World Habitat Award submission; costs as paid 2000–2008). Gives the staged development cost of the full 32-dwelling community — the whole-project CapEx RT_308 needed (the RT row previously said “no whole-project case exists”). ⚠ Earthsong is GRID-CONNECTED (mains water backup, grid power, council sewer) → this anchors the community BUILD cost, not an off-grid systems premium. Figures read verbatim via pdftotext.
Summary
The Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood (Ranui, West Auckland; 32 dwellings + common house/Earthsong Centre on 1.68 ha) staged capital-cost record, from its World Habitat Award submission. Total development cost ~NZ10,728,300** (2000–2008, as paid) for 32 homes + the common house + all siteworks ≈ **335,000/dwelling all-in (~$291,000 excl. the common house/centre). Houses were 100% purchaser-funded (20% equity up front + National Bank / Prometheus Ethical Finance construction loans); the common house 85% owners / 15% grants. This is the strongest real NZ community-build cost anchor for RT_308 — but Earthsong is grid-connected, so it validates the dwellings + siteworks + communal envelope, not the off-grid energy/water systems premium.
Key claims
- claim: "Earthsong staged whole-project capital costs (32 dwellings + common house, Ranui Auckland; costs as paid 2000–2008 NZD): Stage I (2000–02, 17 houses + major siteworks) $4,850,000; Stage II(a) (2004, 7 houses + siteworks) $1,920,100; Common house / Earthsong Centre (2005) $1,402,000; Stage II(b) (2006, 8 houses + siteworks) $2,369,000; completion of siteworks (2008) $187,200. TOTAL ~$10,728,300 for 32 dwellings + centre + all siteworks ≈ $335,000/dwelling all-in (~$291,000/dwelling excl. common house). At ~×1.6 CPI (2004→2026, per OT_078) indicative ~$466–536k/dwelling in 2026 NZD."
source_location: "Award submission p.7 'Capital costs' (pdftotext lines 194–202)"
- claim: "Funding structure: houses 100% purchaser-funded — 20% equity up front per stage + balance via commercial construction loans (National Bank of NZ) and Prometheus Ethical Finance; common house / Earthsong Centre 85% owners (built into house prices) / 15% grants+donations. Grants/subsidised finance: ASB Community Trust $203,000 (2005, Earthsong Centre); Waitakere City Council $300,000 interest-free loan (2005, Centre) + $10,000 (half the composting-toilet install); Auckland Regional Holdings / Infrastructure Auckland $93,400 (2001, overland stormwater — tanks/swales/pond/permeable paving). Grant stack ~$306k + $300k interest-free loan on a ~$10.7M project (~6% + a loan). The $93,400 IA stormwater grant matches OT_078."
source_location: "Award submission p.7 'Grants' (pdftotext lines 205–222)"Neobiome Intelligence relevance
Advances RT_308 — the first real NZ intentional-community whole-project build-cost anchor (32 dwellings, ~10.73M / ~335k/dwelling all-in, 2000–08 NZD; indicative ~466–536k/dwelling at 2026 CPI). Validates the **dwellings + siteworks + communal** portion of the model's community CapEx headline — the dominant term. ⚠ **Earthsong is grid-connected** (mains water backup, grid electricity, council sewer), so it does NOT validate the off-grid energy/water **systems premium** (solar/battery/treatment/backstop) — that stays an estimate needing a real off-grid case. So RT_308 is **substantially advanced, not fully resolved**: the build-cost core is anchored; the off-grid-specific premium is the residual. Corroborates [[ot_078_earthsong-ia-stormwater-water-costs-2008|OT_078]] (the 93,400 IA stormwater grant matches). Feeds D01 + earthsong_ranui. data_quality high (primary, actual paid costs).
Research targets
Research gaps
- RT_308 residual: an off-grid systems premium validated against a real off-grid case (Earthsong is grid-connected). The build-cost core is now anchored here.
- Rural counterpoint now held → OT_127 (Hoskins / design TRIBE 2012 Papakāinga Technical Report): a completed rural NZ papakāinga (Horaparaikete, 2009) adds a per-dwelling build-cost anchor (~
120k–220k/house, ~1,071–1,222/m², + a ~$350k communal Whare Tāpiri) beside Earthsong’s urban figure — the two now form a paired RT_308 partial. But it too leaves the off-grid systems premium un-costed (its genuinely off-grid Pōike case discloses no dollar figures), so the RT_308 residual above is unchanged.
Connections
Links to
Sources (1): OT_078
EDT domains (1): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems
Cases (1): Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood
Referenced by
Sources (16): OT_127 · OT_130 · OT_138 · OT_139 · OT_140 · OT_141 · OT_142 · OT_143 · OT_144 · OT_145 · OT_147 · OT_148 · +4 more
EDT domains (2): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems · D04: Sustainable Habitat & Building Technology
Cases (1): Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood