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Architects: Studio Woodroffe Papa
- Area: 6250 m²
- Year: 2005
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Photographs:Jan Bitter, Patrick Reynolds
Text description provided by the architects. In a country that is known for building only high-rise or low-rise, Auckland's Beaumont Quarter has been recognised as a benchmark project for medium-density residential development, attracting families back into the city's downtown area. The project's central challenge came from the site’s topography and the client's requirement to create spatial qualities normally associated with suburban living.
The sloping site was once the old harbour front; the escarpment was considered of historical importance and could not be re-modelled; all existing trees had to be retained. By re-interpreting traditional villa and terraced-housing models, we created four house types that could be more responsive to the unique conditions and challenges on the site. These types were designed to benefit from views to the bay, access to sunlight, street frontage and privacy while mitigating the impact of street parking and noise from the adjacent motorway.
The project is bound together by a new public space; a boardwalk that moves from the park and climbing up the cliff top, making the cliff landscape accessible as part of the street network below.
