Following the successful design of 38 homes on the northern side of Hobsonville Point Road, Universal Homes engaged Construkt to design a further 33 homes on the southern border. There are a number of similarities, for example, a mix of two- and three-storey terraced homes, standalone homes, and affordable options. Homes range in size from 84-246sqm and lot sizes from 102-246sqm.

A key characteristic of this project is the use of in situ concrete on some of the sites.
“With the advent of in-situ concrete, we have the opportunity to get some great finishes, the surfaces needn’t be painted. Instead, various oxides can be added to the mix so the colour is inherent in the material,” says Construkt director Madushin Amarasekera.
The Lots 1-18 terraces are distinctive, yet complementary to the overall look and feel of the Hobsonville Point development.

Two identical blocks (9 units each), comprising of a 3 or 4 bedroom unit paired with a 2 bedroom unit (with provision for the homeowner to extend into that third half-storey come attic space) have their northern boundary fronting Hobsonville Point Road.
A northern outdoor court directly accessed from the main living area was essential whilst providing a level of privacy – the building bulk is pushed back 3m, elevated approximately 0.9m above the pavement level and planting is also used as a privacy control device. A rear outdoor court is directly connected to the open plan living spaces.

The 1.2m deep balconies above both courts are expressed, and the triple height façade articulated, with fine-grained vertical balustrading and a bold, elegant structural frame that visually extends the building’s bulk closer to the street and uphold the Framework plan’s intent.

The need to not have any internal or membrane gutters drove the resulting roofscape – a repeating pattern of paired units (designed to read like a single large unit) broken by vertical negative strands, arrayed 9 times over the 2 blocks creates a robustly elegant rhythm of rich red brick and painted in-situ concrete gabled forms. The result is an honest, effective skyline appurtenant in its context.