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Green Connection Pod
Type of project: Design-driven project
Collaborator: Christchurch City Libraries, All Right? Qtopia, Christchurch City Mission, Ōtautahi Creative Spaces, Purapura Whetu, Audrey Baldwin, Tusiata Avia
Sponsors/Funders: Christchurch City Council, Cebelio, Natural Paint Co. TimeZoneOne, The Donut Dispensary, Riverside Market
Location: Tūranga Central Library, September – December 2019; Riverside Market, December 2019 – Present, Christchurch NZ
Completed: September 2019.
Status: Active
The Green Lab designed the Green Connection Pod as an intimate, interior gathering green-space to foster moments of genuine human connection. It is a flatpack, circular wooden seating area, enveloped by greenery, which creates a welcoming venue that fosters relationship, hosting kōrero, connections, meetings, and contemplation. Research shows that green spaces enhance mental wellbeing, lift our mood, reduce anxiety and depression, and support genuine connections between people.
A scale model of the Pod was prototyped at Tūranga in the Taupuni Waihanga | Production Studio. The planting was completed during a workshop for participants on Christchurch City Mission’s Reset Fridays. Conversation starter cards that were designed in collaboration with wellbeing organisation, All Right?, accompanied the pod on it’s first outing in Tūranga. These provided easy scripts to encourage conversation between pod users who may not have known each other previously. It was cared for at Tūranga by members of the no-fixed-abode community, who were given training toward this.
The Green Connection Pod hosted programming around Mental Health Awareness Week, 23 – 29 September, 2019. Welcome invitations to use the pod were translated into some of Waitaha Canterbury’s commonly used languages – Arabic, Mandarin, Samoan, Te Reo Māori. Representatives from wellbeing focussed organisations, All Right?, Qtopia, Ōtautahi Creative Spaces, and Purapura Whetu occupied the Pod over consecutive lunch times. Over the weekend, artist Audrey Baldwin brought her SCAPE Public Art project into the Pod, and poet Tusiata Avia crafted responses to those who sat with her in it.
In December 2019, the Green Connection Pod moved to Riverside Market to enliven a vacant space in the new venue. It is cared for in Riverside by Joanna at The Donut Dispensary, thanks Joanna!
If you are interested in a Green Connection Pod for your organisation, get in touch by clicking the link below.
Media Links:
Christchurch City Library (RNZ)
Video Of The Slideshow Presentation:
“[The Pod] really brightens up the ground floor, as well as offering a gorgeous space to have a coffee or read a newspaper or chat with a friend.”
“I enjoyed the inclusivity of the Pod - from the construction, to the watering, to the hosting of groups (such as The Conversation Starters). We have had a lot of comments about how it has improved the space and lightened the space up. People are really going to miss the Pod.”
“I enjoyed the inclusivity of the Pod - from the construction, to the watering, to the hosting of groups (such as The Conversation Starters). We have had a lot of comments about how it has improved the space and lightened the space up. People are really going to miss the Pod.”
“I enjoyed the inclusivity of the Pod - from the construction, to the watering, to the hosting of groups (such as The Conversation Starters). We have had a lot of comments about how it has improved the space and lightened the space up. People are really going to miss the Pod.”
“I enjoyed the inclusivity of the Pod - from the construction, to the watering, to the hosting of groups (such as The Conversation Starters). We have had a lot of comments about how it has improved the space and lightened the space up. People are really going to miss the Pod.”
“I really appreciate the work that the Green Lab - particularly Jane Ash - did to ensure that Roger (the Plant Waterer) felt to be an integral part of the Connection Pod. It has really helped to lift his confidence. Thank you for this. Working with The Green Lab is a dream. You all are amazing.”
“The abundance of plants create a sense of peace, lots of details to look at on them and they inspire my curiosity about them.”
“My favourite part was the greenery - it’s a relaxed social space. Lovely intimate scale. Nice aesthetically!”
“It offered an opportunity to pause and connect, I loved the conversation starter leaves”