The Meridian First Light House

February 2019 HOW to Prefab
THE Meridian First Light House

2010 This technologically advanced house has travelled from New Zealand to the
New Zealand & Northern-Hemisphere and back, competing in United States of America’s (USA)
Washington DC, Solar Decathalon competition in 2011. Its success is a major credit to the tight-knit
U.S.A team of students involved and the huge range of industry partners.
The Meridian First Light House (Washington, D.C., U.S.A) Ron Blunt
PROJECT INTENT
The Meridian First Light House was The section was just off the National Mall
commissioned and designed as Victoria and therefore it was forbidden to dig up the Client: Victoria University of
University of Wellington’s (VUW) entry to grass. A temporary adjustable piling system Wellington
the United States Department of Energy’s was designed so the house could sit above
competition: Solar Decathlon 2011. This the ground. Contractor: Mainzeal
project marked the first time for an entry to be
accepted from the Southern-Hemisphere and The main issue to address was the
Architect: First Light Studio
needed to be transportable, affordable, and transportation of the building from the
capable of quick assembly. It was required Rongotai, Wellington factory to Washington (PrefabNZ Member),
to run completely off solar power for the ten- DC. The completed building units travelled in
day duration of the competition and meet six 40 foot shipping containers, and were then Structural Dunning Thornton
numerous energy benchmarks. The design freighted to site. The house took five days to Engineer: Consultants (PrefabNZ
also had to meet Building Code requirements assemble, it was judged over the next two Member)
in Wellington (New Zealand) and Washington days, and then let open for 10,000 visitors.
DC (U.S.A). The house also welcomed 20,000 visitors at
Status: Completed NZ 2010-11,
the initial launch on Wellington’s waterfront at
The Solar Decathlon entails ten competitions, Frank Kitts Park before travelling to the USA. USA 2011
five of which are judged by international Following the competition, the house was
jurors. The Meridian First Light House was disassembled, shipped back to NZ and then Floor Area: 75m²
successful in many of these competitions, transported to Waimarama, Hawkes Bay,
coming First in Engineering, First in Energy where it was later re-assembled as a family
Prefab Type: Hybrid (panel + pod)
Balance, First in Marketing Appeal, Second bach.
in Architecture and Third Place overall. The
project was realised entirely through funding,
with Meridian Energy as the lead sponsor Prefab Materials Used:
amongst multiple industry partners. Timber, Flexcrete concrete floors
Eco-wool recycled wool insulation,
Eco-windows triple-glazed timber
windows, western red cedar cladding,
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Timber decking
The competition site was located near the
Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. The New Zealand Team Ron Blunt
COST (NZD) TIME (months)

(2011 exc. GST) 300k 325k 350k 375k 400k (construction only) 2m 4m 6m 8m 10m
Meridian First Light House HOW to Prefab
Central Concrete Table Ron Blunt Rimu-Clad Storage System to sleep extra people Ron Blunt
MATERIAL
The competition was focused on innovation in energy use FEEDBACK
but the design was also required to be ground-breaking
in other areas. The design incorporated sheep’s wool The Meridian First Light House enabled fantastic publicity
insulation, adjustable foundations and a demountable for VUW and created a practice: First Light Studio. The
cladding system. It housed an innovative modular project has been published in over a hundred magazine
electrical wiring system that could be grid-tied to different articles, has appeared in several books, and has also
electrical systems and it had a central concrete table been the subject of conference papers and journal
that was additionally a heat regulating mechanism. The articles. The project gained a NZIA NZ Architecture Award
highly innovative rimu-clad storage area in the living room in 2013 and a NZ Timber Design Society Award in 2012.
enabled the one bedroom house to sleep six people, and
the small kitchen could cater for a dinner party of 12.
The design’s five volumes were centred around the sixth

central glazed unit which was assembled on-site. Two of
the units incorporated wet areas and housed the kitchen
and bathroom. Another unit featured a services room
that included all of the electrical, the Heating Ventilation
and Cooling (HVAC) system and battery equipment. The
designated travel time of three months meant Team NZ
had to thoroughly consider the problems that could occur
during this time. This factor helped resolve any potential
issues early-on in the process.
CONSTRUCTION
The six volumetric units were clipped together and
aligned at floor level with double-ended dowels to ensure
alignment. The foundation system incorporated a steel
angle for the house units to be placed on. The NZ team
pushed the units along to adjust the final position.
The project held various risks for VUW due to its travel
requirements. During transportation, the Meridian First
Light House risked being damaged at sea. The house is a
successful example of how to develop a project destined
for transport to an offshore country.
The Meridian First Light House Floor Plan
REFERENCES
Guy Marriage (First Light Studio). Personal Communication
with Eleni Timoteo. December, 2018. For more information on this project visit:
http://www.firstlightstudio.co.nz/the-meridian-first-light-house/
Images: Courtesy of First Light Studio and photographer,
Ron Blunt
prefabnz.com

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February 2019 HOW to Prefab

THE Meridian First Light House

COST (NZD) TIME (months)

The design’s five volumes were centred around the sixth

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