Trinity Apartments
By Architectus
The Trinity Apartments in Auckland occupy an important corner site opposite the Holy Trinity Cathedral and adjacent to the busy retail heart of Parnell. They are a model of sustainable, medium-density residential development.
The 32 apartments are arranged over six levels in an L-shaped form that provides a continuous street edge whilst protecting an extensive landscaped courtyard and garden.
A lap pool and reflection pond provides evaporative cooling that moderates the temperatures around the building.
The high thermal mass of the building itself, (insitu and pre-cast concrete elements, concrete block work and exposed aggregate panels), also contributes to minimising temperature fluctuations within apartments and to delaying and reducing solar heat gain.
Every apartment includes a private outdoor living area and is designed to maximise natural ventilation and day lighting.
The deep verandahs offer a buffer between the interiors and the street edge; connecting them with the surrounding environment while providing protection from the elements.
A variety of louvres and sunshades; timber shutters to internal courtyards and external sun filter blinds to balcony edges, can be operated by the residents to adjust the amount of sunlight and privacy as desired.
Location:
Auckland
Completion:
2005
Products used in
Trinity Apartments
Professionals used in
Trinity Apartments
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Architectus
About the
Professional
Architectus is an architecture and urbanism practice designing places and spaces tuned to their communities, context and culture. Advocates for integrated design, we apply a rigorous and tailored approach to create environments that are inspiring and enduring.
For over 30 years, we have been realising innovative and bespoke projects around Aotearoa New Zealand, shaping precincts and campuses with people and sustainability at their heart. Through a collaborative and integrated approach, we have had many successful joint ventures with local and international partners, and we enjoy a strong relationship with our associated studios in Australia.
Our Purpose
We believe architecture begins with a social agenda. It must nurture and grow communities and individuals, and enhance its neighbourhood and city. Appropriate, efficient and elegant architecture for today becomes the urban fabric of the future – we design for this longevity, to create places that will serve generations to come.
Design Philosophy
While a good project must firstly solve practical needs and be viable, a truly great project must embody a community’s broader cultural context: its urban and architectural setting, its local geography and ecology, and the stories of its people. The more meaningful a place becomes through a true sense of belonging, the greater the value and longevity it has for its community.
We believe placemaking in Aotearoa is grounded in a bicultural creative process. We partner with mana whenua to embed their aspirations and cultural narratives across functional, ceremonial, spatial and artistic dimensions.
Underpinning these human stories is our responsibility to be judicious with natural resources. Environmentally sensitive architecture requires us to be energy-efficient and space-efficient, and to use low-carbon materials and ethically sourced products.
This is a holistic approach that embeds our practice in a continuum of artistic and technical progress, so the architecture we are responsible for will be relevant for decades to come.