Clyde Orchards has designed and built the country’s first Vanuatuan house for its RSE workers, which was officially opened this week.

The Paulins have been involved in fruitgrowing for over 100 years, and owners Kevin and Raymond have been known for their hospitality - which now extends well beyond their own family.

Kevin’s son Robert, an architect in Melbourne, took inspiration from a traditional Vanuatuan meeting house to create a 10-room accommodation facility for the RSE team, who have been coming to the orchard for the past 17 seasons.

Designed in collaboration with Shepherd & Rout Architects and Meyer Cruden, and built by Breen Construction, the entire building has also been created as the powerhouse of the surrounding orchard block, entirely run by a 30kw system of photovoltaic panels.

Robert involved the nivans in the design of their new accommodation from day one, particularly the colour scheme that was an important reflection of their home and culture.

“They expressed a need for a more distinctive RSE experience,” he said.

The new RSE accommodation at Clyde Orchards in Earnscleugh.

The new accommodation will increase the number of RSE workers at Clyde Orchards from 13 to 20 this season.

Robert said he was proud to say it was the lowest operational and embodied carbon worker accommodation in the country.

“It has been one of the most rewarding projects I have been involved in,” he said.

Pacific-inspired materials have also been used throughout - timber panelling on the walls and ceiling are Okoume ply, and Meranti ply for the floors.

The nivans will be back in early November to move in, and operations manager Kris Robb said there was a general feeling of excitement from the guys, and it really felt like home to them.

Co-owner Kevin Paulin told guests at the opening, that their family business had survived over 100 years and was something they were quite proud of.

Nephew Blake Lepper, son of former Central Otago mayor Tony Lepper, said hospitality has always been important to the Paulin family, and it was also an important part of the family orchard story.

“It’s great to see that tradition in looking after people continuing on through another generation and those values continuing for another 100 years.”

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Photos: The Central App