Galway Street Apartments - Ashton Mitchell Architects

CLIENT

Kāinga Ora

LOCATION

Onehunga, Auckland

COMPLETED

2020

AWARDS

2021 NZIA Auckland Local Award: Housing – Multi-Unit
2021 Property Council New Zealand Merit Award – Community and Affordable Housing Property Award

Suburban regeneration which maximizes the amount of sunlight and common landscaping, while being well set back from residential neighbours.

The Galway Street Apartment development for Kainga Ora has enhanced a rear site in central Onehunga by replacing eighteen existing poor-quality townhouses with 71 new 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, as well as community facilities.

The existing terraced townhouses, which had poor sunlight access and poor-quality outdoor space, contained substantial moisture damage and thus required a high quality integrated development to replace the existing. With generous common areas and increasing density on site, the project takes advantage of the sites excellent access to public transport, amenities and nearby employment opportunities.

The selected Galway Street concept arranges the two apartment buildings within the center of the site. Well, set back from residential neighbour’s, maximizing the amount of sunlight opportunity while also maximizing common landscaping.

Excellent daylight access is provided to all apartments, with south facing living areas avoided and apartments maintaining a Northern axis within building A and East-West axis in Building B. The scale of the new buildings is broken down by recessing balconies into the facade and using a series of changes in material to divide the facade into elements which have human scale. Each apartment is able to be identified from the exterior of the building providing a unique form of identity.

Robust, durable materials with an ‘earthy’ palette are used to compliment the surrounding neighbourhood, which transitions between light industrial, commercial, and residential development. This neighbouring architectural language is replicated throughout the two buildings through simple, low pitch roof forms which also minimize building height and provide a durable, low maintenance design solution.

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles have been considered throughout the design development. CPTED techniques such as passive surveillance is provided to all common areas from living areas or circulation routes.