Inner city Kingsland is about to ramp up its electrification. Just along from its train station, The Electric apartment development on 445 New North Road is about to become the brightest star on its New North Road ridgeline.
Above ground floor retail/commercial, its 33 apartments, now for sale, will throw new light and contemporary style across one of Auckland’s oldest suburbs. Price for an apartment starts from $695,000 to over $2.75 million. Penthouse is POA.
“The drive behind the name The Electric is the buzz and energy of Kingsland - a neighbourhood with a progressive mindset, distinct atmosphere and electric culture,” Juliet Lichtenstein says, Collier’s Residential Project Sales Manager.
In 2016 lead architect Simon Woodall of Chow: Hill got talking to the developers, the Cassidy family, whose connections to Kingsland date back to the 1980s.
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With all eyes on this under-used property, Woodall took time out from a family trip to Sydney that year to check out Sydney’s brightest new apartment developments.
What he saw resonated with the Auckland Council’s design guidelines for contemporary developments — to preserve streetscape character and respect, rather than replicate, architectural history.
“That’s what we have achieved,” Woodall says.
“We studied the balance of the subdivision patterns up and down the road, the way the shops were broken up and the historical elements. There was depth to our thinking here around its modular form and we were mindful of how the facade steps in and out, without eroding that street wall.
“We wanted to produce a piece of design that simultaneously felt at home in Kingsland and yet stood out in the middle of a constantly evolving, energetic neighbourhood.”
The result is a boutique apartment building with climbing greenery, a multi-level glazed facade and a social connection to its green views.
There are 2.5m deep, semi-enclosed balconies/sunrooms, with glass sliding doors and bi-fold aluminium timber-look shutters for lifestyle flexibility.
North-facing views sweep across to the Great North Road ridge; to the west, The Electric steps down one storey with views from expansive decks towards the Waitakere Ranges.
Close to home, there is a contemplative, Japanese-inspired, semi-enclosed courtyard garden and water feature to look down on.
The contemporary, L-shaped form of The Electric on its 1700sqm site is a far cry from the existing low-slung 1960s/70s commercial buildings, set back with car parking in front.
It epitomises the lifestyle and design differences, and what Woodall calls this new “active facade”, that better connects residents to this new community vibe.
Chow: Hill’s design team included architect Katie Dickens and interior designer Amy Land who is behind the “Element” and “Mineral” interiors palettes.
The choices are an edgy or more conservative vibe to kitchens and bathrooms, Woodall says.
“It’s about keeping the living areas neutral - some of the apartments have bagged brick walls for texture - and letting those other areas pop.
“The Electric is a real standout for this neighbourhood and we’re really proud of that.”
Register at theelectric.co.nz to view the display unit at 445 New North Road, Kingsland. Colliers’ Sherryl Todd and Ainsley Lewis are marketing the property.
