News & Updates
Multi-generational house the big winner at ADNZ awards
Construkt Director Madushin Amarasekera was the big winner at the Architectural Designers NZ national awards presentation dinner last Friday night. His renovation of a 1940’s state house to accommodate his extended family struck a chord with the judges who presented him awards in the Residential Additions and Alterations and Residential Interiors categories and topped it off with the Supreme Award.
The judges noted that “the brief was to provide two homes under one roof, with separation between generations while also fostering moments of daily interaction.” and that the house “is an exemplar of contemporary intergenerational living to address the severe housing pressures of our time.”
This point was picked up in the main national newspapers (NZ Herald and Stuff) which all noted that with unrelenting pressure on house prices pooling the resources of a family to build or renovate a house that suits the needs of several generations at the same time makes good sense.
The judges were highly impressed with the skill and care that Madushin had applied to this project.
(Madushin Amarasekera accepting the Award from Gregory Watts, CEO of ADNZ)
New Construkt-ors!
In the last few weeks we have added three talented newcomers to our team of “Construktors”:
Vera Boytsukevich completed her B.Arch in Ukraine. She has 15 years of post-graduate experience in Russia, mainly in commercial architecture before coming to NZ in 2019, where she has worked on multi-unit residential projects. She is an adept user of ArchiCAD. She joined us in early September and is already making an outstanding contribution at Construkt. She enjoys painting in watercolours, hiking, camping and is keen on movies and theatre.
Noora Hashimi graduated with M.Arch (Prof.) degree from Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland in 2015. Since then, she has been working in Auckland-based architectural practices on various projects including, medium to high density housing, renovation and alteration jobs, healthcare and urban design projects. Noora joined us in early September and she has been a valued addition to the design and documentation team. Noora enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures. She also enjoys volunteer work and community involvement.
Olga Grishagina is our newest Construktor having joined us this week. She graduated B. Arch (Hons) from Southern Federal University, Russia in 2008 and has obtained a postgraduate diploma in Architecture from University of Auckland in 2020. Olga has had extensive experience as an architect in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Italy and France including running her own practice before she came to New Zealand in 2018. Olga will join the design team headed by Russell Cannons and Madushin Amarasekeera Olga has a passion for art and volunteers as a guide at Auckland City Art Gallery.
Pretty “Fab”
(Director Madushin Amarsekeera (left) visits Panasonic’s pre-fabricated housing factory in Japan)
Our client Mike Greer Homes has formed an association with one of Japan’s largest builders ofprefabricated homes, Panasonic, to provide homes for the New Zealand market. The “fab” news is that the first of these homes is being finished currently at Lake Waikere, Te Kauwhata.
It is the first of a dozen houses to be delivered in ready-to-assemble panels and components from Japan by container for sites at Te Kauwhata and Mt Roskill. The intention is, all going well, this will be scaled up to hundreds of houses per year within a short period of time.
For the pilot project at Te Kauwhata, Mike Greer Commercial asked Construkt to produce, facilitate and manage a building consent for a system that is outside NZ building code’s acceptable solutions.
Panasonic have well over 50 years experience in building prefabricated houses in Japan where extremes of weather and seismic conditions are encountered. They have recently joined forces with Toyota Housing who are one of the largest players in this area.
Construkt Director, Madushin Amarasekera says “Construkt are excited to play a key role in bringing prefabricated houses to NZ through our relationship with Mike Greer Commercial and PanaHomes. We recognise this as a tremendous opportunity to bring a high-quality product into NZ and the speed at which these houses can go up, it has real potential to contribute positively in addressing in part, our housing problem.”
Mike Greer spoke with the media about this new venture and what it means to his organisation, and the NZ housing market.
(Rendered perspective of a Construkt-designed typology using the Panasonic Homes pre-fab system)
Construkt Founder retires
(David Gibbs, accepting his award from the NZ Planning Institute in 2019, “in recognition of outstanding services to planning by non-planners”)
Construkt Founder, David Gibbs will retire on 22nd December after 35 years in private practice. David says Construkt is in great shape under the leadership of the three remaining directors and it is the right time to step to the sideline.
David says it is a great joy to him that the practice he started in 1994, that became Construkt (upon a name change in 2005) will continue so robustly. He credits the decision he took in 2005 to add masterplanning and urban design to their service offering as the turning point. It coincided with a rise in opportunities to work on large scale new residential communities. He notes that this remains the area of work that Construkt is best known for.
David and his wife Helen enjoy dividing their time between their homes in Auckland and Queenstown and David says he is looking forward to doing a lot more of the things he loves now he will have more time available. Fishing, mountain biking, snow boarding, guitar playing and walking are “on the agenda”.
Multi-generational house the big winner at ADNZ awards
Construkt Director Madushin Amarasekera was the big winner at the Architectural Designers NZ national awards presentation dinner last Friday night. His renovation of a 1940’s state house to accommodate his extended family struck a chord with the judges who presented him awards in the Residential Additions and Alterations and Residential Interiors categories and topped it off with the Supreme Award.
The judges were highly impressed with the skill and care that Madushin had applied to this project. Their full citation is below;
This incredible project is the renovation of a 1940’s state house to accommodate an extended multi-generational family. The brief was to provide two homes under one roof, with separation between generations while also fostering moments of daily interaction. It is an exemplar of contemporary intergenerational living to address the severe housing pressures of our time.
Avoiding the easy solution of plonking an annex on the back of the site for the grandparents, the designer has instead created a series of interlocking spaces for the occupants to come together as a whānau, sharing domestic life alongside work-life, but also providing opportunity to be apart and give each family unit their own space and time.
The designer has followed a legible narrative, with the minor dwelling slipped in at ground floor and a gable perched above and the ‘vertical street’ between making use of volumetric complexity not often seen these days
A beautifully detailed suspended, top-lit, stairway stitches together the new and the old spaces. With its steel framework, recycled native timber treads and open risers, and draping plants, this space brings light down into the centre of the ground floor plan and provides a dramatic sense of the verticality of the project from the interior. The ‘ghost’ of the state house is referenced throughout. For example, where exterior walls are now interior, they are still punctured by openings. The overall effect of these carefully interlocked horizontal and vertical spaces is village like. The marriage of old and new play off each other with an extreme care and attention given to details and re-use of salvaged materials.
A bold vision to transform 67 hectares of waterfront land at Whangarei took a big step forward earlier this month when Whangarei District Council approved a special chapter of their new District Plan for Port Nikau.
In its former life Port Nikau had been the main port for Whangarei before construction of Marsden Point. This spectacular, largely vacant, harbourside site has been crying out for redevelopment but needed the supportive planning framework that has just been achieved to move forward in a cohesive way.
Construkt had the great pleasure over the last few months of working closely with Tony and Clare Davies-Colley of Port Nikau Joint Venture and Planner Brett Hood of Reyburn and Bryant to refine and develop a robust master plan for a new community that will eventually provide over 1200 homes alongside a harbour-side town centre.
“…Working with Construkt made this an enjoyable process
with excellent commitment, timeliness and outcomes.”
Clare and Tony Davies-Colley
Port Nikau Joint Venture
Brett Hood led a collaborative engagement with Whangarei District Council planners that saw them highly supportive of the urban design principles and built-form proposals embodied in our masterplan. The special chapter Council has approved for Port Nikau lays the foundation for this superb waterfront site to become the go-to destination for Whangarei.
We get a bit proprietorial about Hobsonville Point. That’s because we were there right at the beginning in 2007 and here we are in 2020 working on the last allocated block.
Back at the beginning we worked alongside Isthmus Group on the concept masterplan for the entire site, that progressed to doing developed masterplans for the Buckley and Hudson/Sunderland precincts.
Running alongside the masterplanning work there has always been a second crucial workstream – that of working with builder partners to build out Hobsonville Point. We had the great fortune of working with Universal Homes on the first cluster of 47 homes to be built at Hobsonville Point, and it hasn’t stopped for 13 years. We’ve designed 509 houses for Universal, most of them right through to readiness for building.
“Our relationship with Construkt goes way back, and there’s a good reason
for that: they successfully capture the project essence in every design.”
– Graham Street, CEO, Universal Homes
In more recent times we’ve had the very good fortune to team up with Fletcher Residential for a further 294 houses.
So what does Construkt’s 803 houses mean in the context of the whole suburb? Well, we have the answer. Kāinga Ora say eventually there will be 4500 houses at Hobsonville Point. Even if we don’t design another house we will have designed 18% of the eventual 4,500.
Right at the moment when you go to Hobsonville Point you can see 547 Construkt-designed houses built – about 23% of the 2,333 Kāinga Ora state are completed. So you can see why we feel a bit proprietorial….
Port Nikau, Whangarei Port Nikau covers 67ha of former port land on Whangarei Harbour. Beginning the process with an established conceptual layout, Construkt teamed up with Reyburn & Bryant to test and develop the design to form a submission to the Whangarei District Council, to be considered during the district plan review process. Approved in June 2020, the result is an extraordinarily beneficial planning framework.
The masterplan is a combination of brownfields regeneration and greenfields development. It includes a town centre, low and medium density residential housing, retirement housing, mixed use buildings and open space. A key element within the scheme is the Waitai Trail, which will offer a safe and engaging route for pedestrians andcyclists that weaves between the coastal edge, mangroves, parkland, and urban areas.
Client: Port Nikau Joint Venture
Key Consultants:
Planner: Reyburn & Bryant
Temple view, Hamilton
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has had a presence at Temple View since the early 1950’s. The settlement is home to the Church’s most important temple in New Zealand . The Church College of New Zealand (CCNZ) campus provided education and board for up to 700 students from years 9 to13. In 2009 it was decided to close CCNZ and consideration was then given to alternative uses for the site that would preserve the vitality of Temple View.
The Temple View Project has set a benchmark for quality development, and has be awarded the New Zealand Planning Institute’s 2020 award for Best Practice – Integrated Planning and Investigations. Construkt in collaboration with Bloxam Burnett & Olliver and Mansergh Graham Landscape Architects applied a creative approach to the masterplanning of the site and achieved a seamless blending of the historic and the modern, the man made and the natural, all the while recognising and reinforcing the importance of this special character area.
Contemporaneously the church then embarked on a separate and bold programme for further development and revitalisation of their church campus alongside Walker Architects.
Temple View is just ten minute drive from Hamilton’s city centre so there was obvious potential to grow the community by attracting new residents – both church members and others, but first a plan change was needed to gain the right zoning for residential and commercial activity on the old school site. Comprehensive Development Plans (CDP’s) were prepared in two sectors to allow staged development and resource consents applied for. Both have been granted and the Church is now seeking development partners to execute the project.
Client: The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Key Consultants:
Resource Management Planning and Civil Engineering: Bloxam Burnett & Olliver
Peacock, Ohaupo, Hamilton
Located 6km from Hamilton City Centre, this development is part of the wider Peacocke growth area, which covers 720ha of greenfield land in south west Hamilton. The masterplan, which is 35.8ha in size, features a neighbourhood centre, low and medium density housing, reserves for active recreation, and natural environments.
Developed in 2018, the masterplan is currently guiding a staged consenting process of which the first stage was assessed and approved in 2019 – the first in the broader Peacock development region.
Client: Northview Capital Limited
Key Consultants:
Landscape Architects: Mansergh Graham Landscape Architects
Planning: Landscape Architects: Mansergh Graham Landscape Architects
Engineering: Wainui Environmental and CKL
Hobsonville, Auckland
One of the most ambitious developments in Auckland to date, converting the former airbase at Hobsonville Point in the upper Waitemata Harbour into a vibrant community the size of Devonport is a vast challenge.Construkt played a key role in masterplanning this community of 3,000 dwellings across 167ha, and their involvement has since extended into designing individual homes, seeing the process through to completion. To date more than 400 homes of multiple types – around one third of those built so far on the site – have been designed by Construkt.
The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan also calls for affordable housing to be built in Hobsonville, and here Construkt’s considerable expertise in higher density solutions proves a key strength. By combining their knowledge of developers’ needs with their design nous in this space the practice is creating attractive, affordable homes that contribute to a sense of community, with their compact, village feel.
Client: Hobsonville Land Co
Key Consultants:
Landscape Architects: –
Pine harbour maritime village
A transit oriented development with 11 hectares of land connected to a waterfront precinct with ferry connections.
In 2006 Construkt were engaged to masterplan all shore-based development on the 9.6ha site. Over the past few years the masterplan has evolved into a comprehensive TOD that has culminated in a plan change application. This will see areas of reclamation with water edge apartment and mixed use development.
Construkt has also designed the first commercial buildings for the site. Pine Harbour Marina is poised for growth with the draw card of its mix of world-class marina facilities, cafes, shops, outdoor recreation and entertainment.
Client: –
Key Consultants: –
Landscape Architects: –
Planning: Landscape Architects: –
Engineering: –
Long bay
Todd Property Group Ltd’s Long Bay project is one of Construkt’s largest and most exciting masterplanning projects to date. This new community will eventually have some 7,000 residents enjoying extraordinarily beautiful surroundings on 162ha of prime coastal land on Auckland’s North Shore. A new town centre has being masterplanned as the heart of the new community. A network of ecological, heritage and recreational areas link the community and connect it to the Long Bay Regional Park.
Construkt prepared the overall masterplan and then went on to complete detailed masterplanning in the form of Precinct Plans for 85% of the project area. Construkt’s engagement was extended to include design guidelines for the houses, the design of the sales office and cafe and the pump station at Awaruku
Stage 1 of the development was officially opened in November 2012 since then Long Bay has gone on to become a prestigious and settled suburb.
Client: Todd Property Group
Key Consultants:
Transportation Engineering: Flow
Landscape Design: Boffa Miskell
Civil Engineers/ Planners: Wood & Partners
Huapai triangle, precincts a, c and d
The large triangular site adjoins the existing Huapai township. The overall subdivision will ultimately house up to 2,500 new residents, half of which are within the Cabra/GRP Management’s land holding.
Construkt collaborated with Cato Bolam on masterplanning and resource consenting and went on to design the neighbourhood centre and central park and prepare urban design reports.
As with much of Construkt’s work on medium density housing, lot testing was carried out to determine block sizes to suit the intended housing typologies, which in turn informed the direction for the masterplan.
Client: Cabra Developments Limited and GRP Management Limited
Key Consultants: Cato Bolam
Addison balance land
The Addison project, regarded as a leading benchmark for community minded urbanism on a sustainable basis, is a development by McConnell Property Ltd which began in 1999, setting out to create 1250 new affordable homes in Takanini, South Auckland. Construkt were engaged to prepare a new master plan for the “Balance Land” which makes up 24.3 hectares of the 80 hectare site.
This master plan created around 475 homes of varying typologies ranging from detached family homes through to higher density terraces. Around 40% of the developable land was given over to parks and public spaces.
The project retains strong ties to the history of the land by acknowledging the 400 yard flight path of the first authenticated powered flight, by the Walsh brothers in 1911.
Tamsyn McDonald of McConnell Property Ltd says; “Construkt were easy to deal with and worked well with us and our consultants, and were great at liaising with the council”.
Client:McConnell Property Limited
Takanini Village
Considering pedestrian and vehicle movement into and through the site has been crucial to the masterplan. Generous pavement widths of between 4 and 7 metres surround the four distinctive buildings included in Stage 1, and pedestrian safety and traffic flow measures have been designed in.
Stage 1 delivers 6,000m2 of retail and commercial space, plus a large-format 6,800m2 anchor. Plans for Stage 2 include a possible new train station and library, residential live/work units and terraced housing in addition to a further 7,500m2 of retail and commercial space.
Long bay village centre
Todd Property Group Ltd’s Long Bay project is one of Construkt’s largest and most exciting masterplanning projects to date. This new community will eventually have some 7,000 residents enjoying extraordinarily beautiful surroundings on 162ha of prime coastal land on Auckland’s North Shore. A new town centre has being masterplanned as the heart of the new community. A network of ecological, heritage and recreational areas link the community and connect it to the Long Bay Regional Park.
Construkt prepared the overall masterplan and then went on to complete detailed masterplanning in the form of Precinct Plans for 85% of the project area. Construkt’s engagement was extended to include design guidelines for the houses, the design of the sales office and cafe and the pump station at Awaruku
Carlton Gore Road
Hoisting the street-facing two- and three-bedroom apartments above double-height retail space had two effects: creating a marquee retail environment attracted high-end tenants that enhanced the overall desirability, while the extra height increased the natural amenity of the apartments. Office spaces tucked behind the retail, plus additional apartments overlooking a rear courtyard, complete the development.
We are thrilled and honoured to have had three of our projects shortlisted for awards around the country in multiple categories.
The Awards Jury convenor Jane Aimer noted;
Making the shortlist is a significant achievement, especially in what was a bumper year. The shortlist includes outstanding examples of the wide range of buildings that architects design, from schools, offices and public buildings to houses and apartments”
Auckland, Housing Multi Unit – Walter Merton Terraces, Hobsonville Point
Auckland, Housing Alterations and Additions – 2@4 in 1 House, Three Kings
Waikato Bay of Plenty, Planning & Urban Design – Temple View Project, Hamilton
It’s certainly been a busy 2019 and with that, Construkt has recently hired two new staff members, each bringing their own unique and diverse sets of skills and expertise to the practice.
Leticia Silva– Architectural Graduate
Brazilian born, Leticia transitioned into her architectural education as a mature student and has spent the past 12+ years practicing as an Architectural Designer. Her experience has been equally split between Canada and New Zealand.Leticia has developed her skills and expertise across a wide range of projects including single residential homes, large-scale commercial, interior design, educational and hospitality projects.
Genevieve Lim– Architectural Graduate
Born in Singapore, Genevieve brings 15+ years of overseas and local experience in both interior and architectural design in the Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand, China and New Zealand. Her experience in design management with one of Beijing’s top boutique property developers further adds to her versatility as a designer.She sees each project as an opportunity to engage with the client, the site and the brief to create a unique and innovative masterpiece.
Madushin Amarasekera of Construkt Associates Ltd received the Resene Colour in Design Award and a highly commended award for Hobsonville Point Road Terraces, a multi-unit development in Hobsonville, Auckland.In this development of two blocks with nine units in each, a mix of three and four-bedroom units are paired with two-bedroom units. “Grouping the units together through the extension of the roof has created a simple ‘module’ and ensures a strong, defined roofline along the street edge,” the judges said. They also praised the way the tightly planned townhouses present a “pleasing syncopated rhythm to the street”.
http://www.defign.co.nz/blog/auckland-architecture-winners-announced#.XT9-vZMza3A
Incredibly proud of our team being the architects for the Northern Glen Innes redevelopment project. In partnership with Creating Communities Limited and Ashton Mitchell Architects, the project received the Excellence Award in the Multi-Unit Residential Property category.
https://www.propertynz.co.nz/news/2019-property-industry-awards-winners-announced
Citation from the NZIA Awards Jury; “Controlling costs – at whatever price point – while observing the requirements of the masterplan and other planning rules is not easy anywhere in Auckland, and probably nowhere has it been more difficult than in Hobsonville Point. This project by Construkt features three- and four-bedroom terrace units, with double garages, double-height glazing, courtyards opening directly from generous ground-floor living areas, and balconies off the master bedroom upstairs. The forms were required to be kept simple, with no membrane , parapet, internal guttering or other complications to the roofline, the result is a clean and deceptively simple row of bright brick, wood and steel homes. An elegant addition to the street that’s comfortable and extremely pleasant to live in.”
https://www.nzia.co.nz/awards/local/award-detail/8283
https://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/2019-auckland-architecture-awards/
