understorey [tuatahi]

Type of project: Community, events, co-working, and collaboration space
Collaborator: Janeth Gil Photography
Sponsors/Funders: COVID Lotteries Response, Christchurch City Council, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora

Location: The Gym at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Christchurch
Completed: September 2021
Status: Decommissioned in October 2021

A new type of space has been created in the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch. understorey is a bold new project from The Green Lab: a free to access, community, events, co-working, and collaboration space. After a delay due to COVID, the space is now welcoming visitors safely at Alert Level 2.

The stunning Arts Centre Gym has been transformed into a social space where people can come together and just be in the central city, without having to purchase anything. In this first iteration of the project, Cantabrians will be invited to connect with change organisations, community groups, innovators, entrepreneurs, and creatives alike.

“The past couple of years have wrought big changes to the ways we work and connect with each other. This project brings a range of people together, tests ways of sharing space, and hopes to support a flourishing, wellbeing-focused economy”, says Programme Director of The Green Lab, Khye Hitchcock. The multi-function space has been fitted out with creative furniture that supports connection and collaboration, and of course, plenty of plants delivering all the wellbeing benefits that come from being surrounded by them

“Plants thrive in a complex world by communicating, sharing resources and transforming their environments” (Montgomery, 2021); humans are much the same. In a healthy forest ecosystem, the understory is the layer between the ground and the canopy. Home to rich biodiversity which nurtures new generations of saplings, the understory makes important contributions to the stability of the ecosystem. At The Green Lab, we see our role as tending to and collaborating with the community understorey in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Number of guests through:
Number of events held:

I recently moved to Christchurch from Auckland. I am an ex teacher, now Web Designer. There are co-working spaces in Auckland, however all of them are so expensive that I could not afford to join any. Not when already paying NZ rents and starting a business from scratch. The community vibe and affordable opportunities in Ōtautahi was one of the reasons I moved here. I am blown away by the quality of Understorey, how it has been set up and how it is run. Compared to the expensive co-working spaces in Auckland, it is so much better! Having a community space available like this, that is affordable and therefore accessible, makes a huge difference to me both personally, mentally and professionally.

Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou o Greenlab, me te kaupapa nei - I've learnt so much from you this year, and, the greenspace you've grown over there in the gym will live on in my head and heart after it moves on physically!

I would like to just confirm my appreciation for understorey, and hope that it will be able to continue in some location in central Christchurch! I work at an inbound tour operator where we have been without revenue since the borders closed due to COVID, and where we work from home with a significantly reduced team. Having access to such well-equipped co-working space with a strong sense of community is much appreciated. I have found it to be both a productive and inspiring place with a huge lift for wellbeing as well. I have also enjoyed buying lunch from Frances Nation and Riverside so far, to support some of our local eateries, so can confirm the local economic value as well. It is a welcome oasis, and with the birdsong and abundance of plants, it truly feels like one! I would love to see it continue, especially in a location that would also be easy to access by public transport, as I especially appreciate an office space that doesn't require a carbon footprint. Thank you!

understorey [tuatahi]

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