Registrations are now open for the Sustainable Habitat Challenge (SHaC) Symposium, in which the experiences and outcomes of an ambitious nationwide competition will be revealed.

The SHaC 09 Symposium will be held in Dunedin from 19-21 November, and is open to "anyone with an interest in how we can be building the kinds of homes need to be building for the future", according to SHaC Coordinator Tim Bishop.

SHaC teams had less than two years to design, fund and build their visions of sustainable housing - focusing on simplicity, adaptability, efficiency and affordability. Altogether nine teams entered the competition, resulting in eight builds and retrofits.

Entries range from a bolt-on plant room for high-rise apartments, through to a mud and flax earth home designed for a rural Maori community. Others focused on making the most of conventional methods and ways to make sustainability "normal".

Judging will take place at a dinner ceremony on Friday 20 November.

The symposium also features an evening of open lectures on Thursday 19 November by national leaders in sustainable design and systems. These include renowned furniture designer David Trubridge, architect David Strachan, environmental engineer Susan Krumdieck, and Lawrence and Antje McIntyre, whose Golden Bay home brings in power bills as little as $91 a year.

SHaC teams involved students, tradespeople, architects, local authorities, iwi and more. Now, Bishop believes the Symposium is a further opportunity to bring together people from a wide range of backgrounds. "It's the chance to think about the issues and practicalities of creating sustainable housing, and to get excited about what's already happening."

"What the challenge shows is that sustainable housing is possible right now. We're not waiting for anything."

Those interested in attending the symposium are invited to register online at www.shac.org.nz The Sustainable Habitat Challenge was substantially funded by the Ministry for the Environment's Sustainable Management Fund and hosted by Otago Polytechnic.