It’s not often that you get the chance to buy a brand-new home in an island-style location just five minutes from a city centre.
But that’s what’s now available at Amaia of Takapuna. The development, which includes apartments, eateries and a convenience store, is set on a small peninsula just north of the Harbour Bridge that’s handy to both Takapuna and the central city.
Apartments surround a central civic plaza, with green space and views of the city. Photo / Supplied
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The site is bordered on three sides by the harbour, and the fourth by Esmonde Rd. Developers KBS Capital were excited to be able to buy the land, previously occupied by Harbourside Church, and hired renowned architectural firm Jasmax to create a community that did justice to the outstanding location.
The apartments, which start at $790,000, are being marketed by Barry He, Bayleys and Annie Xu, Barfoot & Thompson.
“They said, ‘We’ve got this wonderful site and we want to do something special’,” says Alistair Ray, Jasmax’s senior urban designer and master planner. He and his team came up with a plan that features five buildings surrounded by a 7000sqm green reserve that supports the regeneration of native coastal bush. A boardwalk will hug the seafront.
Apartments will have integrated balconies or winter gardens,as well as shared community facilities. Photo / supplied
Unlike developments in neighbourhoods that tend to “bleed into each other”, Amaia is very contained, thanks to its geography, which makes it unique. While working on the planning, Alistair says he kept the phrase “urban village” in mind. “People love the idea of a village, of knowing most of the people around you,” he says, pointing out that including areas where residents’ lives can intersect helps to create a community.
The buildings will surround a central civic plaza that will be the heart of the development. Shared spaces will include retail facilities, a gym, cafe, restaurants and a community room that can be booked for special events. These facilities will be there to serve the community, rather than attract visitors.
The elegant contemporary interior design includes top quality fixtures and fittings and two sophisticated colour palettes. Photo / supplied
It was very important to make sure there was plenty of green space, Alistair says. “We didn’t want to cram the apartments in. We wanted there to be sufficient space between them, outdoor space that can be used, and a good outlook from the windows.”
Careful thought also went into how the development would look from the outside. The site would have originally been home to a forest, so the planning team worked hard – after consulting with local iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki – to make the shape of the buildings and trees recreate the outline of a forest when viewed from off-site. In the original forest, the Pōhutukawa on the edge of the land would have flanked taller trees, including kauri, in the centre, creating a crown shape. “So our response has been to build lower buildings on the edges, rising up to taller ones in the middle,” says Alistair.
The exteriors of the concrete buildings will feature textured sandstone cladding, metal panels and charcoal banding, and have also been inspired by the forest that once stood on the land. The materials will graduate in colour from light at the top to dark at the bottom to reflect leaves, branches and tree trunks and the forest floor.
The 81 apartments have a choice of one, two or three bedroom configurations. Photo / supplied
“A lot of people will just see the buildings, but they’ve got a story to them,” says Alistair.
Along with managed hotel-style short term accommodation, there will be 81 residential apartments, with a choice of one, two or three bedroom configurations. They’ll come with integrated balconies or winter gardens, and the elegant contemporary design includes top quality fixtures and fittings and two sophisticated colour palettes to choose from.
Barry He from Bayleys, who is marketing Amaia of Takapuna, says the location is a real drawcard. “It’s such a good location – it’s an easy walk into Takapuna and a very short drive over the bridge to the city,” he says, adding with plans for a walk and cycle link over the bridge, there will be even more ways of getting into town.
The buildings feature textured sandstone cladding, metal panels and charcoal banding, inspired by the forest that once stood on the land. Photo / supplied
Amaia is also handy for public transport and there will be a shuttle to the Akoranga Bus Station. There will be a full-time building manager on site to make sure the complex is well-maintained, and the development is pet-friendly.
A 400sqm display suite at 10 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, which includes lifesize replicas of several rooms and an on-site café, is open from 10am to 3pm daily. Building work is due to begin in mid 2021 and be completed by late 2023.
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