The design for New Lynn’s West Edge subdivision created an attractive residential development that also addresses Auckland’s housing intensification needs.

The first stage of a 1,500-home development, West Edge saw Ignite’s residential team design 88 two- and three-bedroom townhouses in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn for international property group, Avanda. As well as delivering a much needed boost to Auckland’s housing stock, it will provide an additional catalyst for the on-going transformation of New Lynn into a vibrant urban centre.

DESIGN

In response to the Council’s stated aims of increasing density in the area and achieving volume in the housing market, previous site studies had focused on multi-unit typologies.

Market research indicated that demand for residential accommodation in the area was predominantly focused on the ‘own door’ residential market as opposed to multi-unit, shared circulation typologies, such as apartments.

With market feedback in mind, Ignite’s residential design team proposed breaking the development up into ten blocks of townhouses, arranged in terraces around landscaped streets and green spaces.

The arrangement of the blocks creates an East/ West and North/South open space grid, which ensures each block is separated to reduce the mass of the buildings and to provide generous outlooks.

‘Pocket parks’ throughout the site offer a series of terraces and structured garden beds, with seating, colourful planting, and productive landscapes. While small, these spaces will eventually connect through future precincts to New Lynn Park, and provide internal landscape amenity, low impact development infrastructure, and recreational opportunities.

Having successfully completed the design for stage one of this project, Ignite’s residential team was subsequently engaged to design stages two and three of the project. Design is currently underway and will be submitted for Resource Consent in mid-2016.

MATERIALS

Exterior materials will be selected from a palette that reflects the residential nature of the project, seeks to express the historical industrial nature of the site, and works to create an identity for the project. Materials will also be selected for their durability and minimal maintenance requirements.