Latest news with #PactGroup
Otago Daily Times
24-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Housing built for healing
This South Dunedin complex provides supported living and a permanent home for 20 residents. PHOTO: GRAHAM WARMAN In the past, some of New Zealand's social housing has left a lot to be desired. As Reuben Hill-Smith wrote in his 2023 master of architecture thesis Toward Community: An architecture of engagement, "every person housed represents a success to be proud of, but from concrete blocks of council flats to motels being used for emergency accommodation, we have a lot to work on." Against this background, supported accommodation developed in South Dunedin for the Pact Group could be considered a success. High ceilings in the living areas provide a sense of light and space. PHOTO: GRAHAM WARMAN Not only because it was shortlisted in the 2025 southern architecture awards or because it incorporates innovative flood mitigation measures but because the residents clearly enjoy being there. Architect Ruth Whitaker, of Mason and Wales, said those behind the project were aware that built environments impact people but it was "astonishing" to get immediate feedback about the positive influence the home had had on its residents and caregivers. The complex, which opened in late 2022 but was entered in this year's architecture awards, is home to 20 people recovering from mental health challenges. A bridge crosses the swale drain at the entrance to the site. PHOTO: RUTH WHITAKER Located in a quiet residential street close to the South Dunedin shops, it was designed as a medium- to long-stay residence which would provide as much independence and privacy as possible while still allowing people to access any support they need. Whitaker said the aim was to provide a "warm and loving family home environment that was spacious, relaxed and connected with the outdoors". The single-storey building is set well back from the street, ensuring privacy and allowing space for a large, north-facing front garden that is frequently enjoyed by residents and staff. Inside, an entrance hall guides residents through to the family-style kitchen and a central dining room that is also a popular space for games, puzzles and crafts. Living areas open on to the expansive front lawn and garden. PHOTO: RUTH WHITAKER The dining area serves as a "bridge" between two glazed gable pavilions containing the living areas. Located in the sunniest, north-facing corners of the site, overlooking the garden, they feature high, grooved plywood ceilings and limestone fireplaces. Bedroom wings in behind are arranged in clusters, connected by short glass corridors. The glazed links let in light and serve as visual breaks, reducing the scale of the building so it feels more like a regular family home. A second kitchen allows the more independent residents to prepare their own meals. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Complete with seating, they're quieter spaces than the main living areas but ones where residents can still feel socially connected, Whitaker said. The idea was partially modelled on student hostels where "everyone wants to socialise in the hallways". Each bedroom suite includes a kitchenette, private en suite, sunny window seat and generous storage. A second shared kitchen allows the more able residents to make meals and maintain their cooking skills. The lounges are designed to feel like regular family-sized living rooms, each seating four to six people. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Interior hues and materials were based on biophilic principles, which have been shown to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. Natural colours and materials, including blues, greens, timber and stone, feature throughout, and most areas have views of the garden. The exterior materials are in keeping with the weatherboard villas which line the street and the relaxed feeling of a coastal cottage. Weatherboards painted in different shades of green break down the scale of the building and contrast with white facing boards. The home was built a metre off the ground on wooden piles to mitigate the risk of flooding. PHOTO: GRAHAM WARMAN The pavilions have glazed gables to capture the northern light and sun while cedar shingles and a nautical-style port-hole window are a nod to the seaside location. Although the site had many positives — it was large and flat with established trees — it is also within the city's flood zone and flood mitigation work was necessary. This included building the home 1m off the ground on timber piles, and incorporating large underground drains and sumps to manage stormwater. A wooden bridge at the entrance to the site crosses over one of these swales; others are covered with rocks and tussocks to look like part of the landscaping. One of the family-sized lounges. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON As cities expand, increased "coverage" with asphalt and concrete increases the impervious area and reduces space for water to run off or drain away into. In contrast to many other new developments, the entire Pact site is permeable. There is no concrete slab beneath the building and the paths and rear carpark are made from permeable concrete paving. The ground acts like a sponge and can absorb large volumes of rainwater. The use of piles and glazed links also means if South Dunedin is under water in the future, the $4 million, 1064sqm building can be divided into sections and moved to higher ground. Pact Group chief executive Paul Chamberlain says the home, which was built by Stewart Construction, has given residents a significant improvement in their quality of life. The bedrooms have sunny window seats, as well as their own kitchennettes and en suites. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON "There's been a lot of research done on how spaces can improve people's wellbeing ... " Whitaker said. "Feeling comfortable where you are, having a strong connection with nature, being warm, having good storage so not to be living in clutter and having a variety of social and private spaces to reside in is really important." Another measure of the building's success is that family and friends enjoy visiting more often, making social isolation less likely. One of the bedrooms. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Family members can relax and socialise with residents in the garden, on the deck or in the privacy of their own room, making for a "more tranquil experience" than previously. On a recent visit to the building, the architect received feedback directly from the residents. "You did an awesome job of this place," one woman told her. "I love it here."
AU Financial Review
30-04-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Billionaire Raphael Geminder faces backlash on Pact delisting plan
Packaging and property billionaire Raphael Geminder is set to battle with minority shareholders as he seeks to delist Pact Group, after a failed $234 million takeover bid last year. Pact said on Tuesday that it would hold an extraordinary general meeting on June 12 for a vote to delist, citing low liquidity in the stock and the costs of maintaining an ASX listing. Geminder holds 87.9 per cent of the company.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pact Group and BlockTexx Partner on Fashion Recycling in Australia
Plastic recycler and packaging manufacturer Pact Group has teamed with textile recycling technology company BlockTexx to develop garment recycling operations for fashion brands and retailers in Australia. The two Australia-based companies signed a memorandum of understanding to determine the feasibility of creating an end-to-end solution for discarded polyester and cotton-blend clothing. The operation would include collection, sorting and pre-processing used garments, then recycling poly-cotton, polyester and cotton pieces into raw materials. Those materials could then be converted into yarn for new clothing, non-food-grade plastic packaging or other applications. More from Sourcing Journal Circ Raises $25M in Oversubscribed Round led by Taranis 'This Isn't About Competition': Why Textile-to-Textile Recyclers Are Teaming Up Aussie Designer Rebecca Vallance Launches Denim Collection According to Seamless, an Australian clothing stewardship initiative, the country's garment industry manufactures and imports around 1.4 billion items of new clothing each year. Most of those items are made with non-renewable materials, and more than half of those garments end up in landfills, accounting for 200,000 metric tons of waste annually. Pact and BlockTexx each bring specialized expertise in recycling to the collaboration. Through its Retail Accessories division, Pact collects and redistributes used plastic hangers from retail stores to garment and accessory suppliers for reuse or recycling. 'Pact's existing presence in the global fashion supply chain through our Retail Accessories business enables us to expand our expertise across the garment supply chain beyond just hangers,' said Sanjay Dayal, CEO of Pact. 'This initiative with BlockTexx demonstrates our commitment to leading the circular economy through partnerships and collaboration to offer sustainable solutions for our customers.' Polyester recycling has proved difficult for the fashion industry to take on for several reasons, one being that most clothing containing the material is blended with other fibers such as cotton, making it harder to separate the polyester for recycling. Often, polyester goes through chemical treatments and finishes that can also interfere with recycling. BlocTexx developed a chemical recycling process for hard-to-recycle polyester and cotton blends, and currently recycles textiles at its facility near Brisbane for use in new clothing and agricultural applications, among other uses. Through this partnership, the two companies will conduct a feasibility study to assess Australia's garment collection supply chain, the technical requirements necessary to meet BlockTexx's recycling process and the suitability of using the resulting recycled raw materials in Pact's packaging products and other applications. Pact and BlockTexx said they hope to complete that study this year. 'This project aims to accelerate the fashion industry's shift toward more sustainable products by combining Pact's capabilities in sustainable retail supply chains with BlockTexx's textile recycling innovations,' said Adrian Jones, co-founder of BlockTexx. 'This could enable businesses in the fashion and textiles sector to transition to more sustainable and circular practices and assist in the reduction of CO-2 emissions and prevent unwearable textiles from going to landfill, both here and overseas.'
