modern in Mairangi

Extended natural cedar is used as decorative, screening element, animating the facades and bringing a common theme across the development. The coastal character is expressed with large, open verandas, sliding screens, timber cladding and all features generally associated with beachside living. Clever massing breaks the development up into a variety of home clusters, from single dwelling to a group of five, which combined with the fall of site creates a lot of variety of form and spaces between structures.

Materially, houses have precast intertenancy walls, concrete ground floor walls, and first floors. The cladding either stained cedar or painted finger jointed cedar. Windows are double glazed and overhangs for weathering are generally utilised. The development has had consistently positive feedback from users who benefit from easy-care living in very close proximity to the village amenities and beach. Floor plates with spacious living areas and bedroom sizes make for practical planning. Lifts are provided to all units allowing long term accessibility for owners.

The colour scheme is a simple palette of timber, patterned precast concrete, white vertical shiplap cladding, natural coloured cedar and mid grey screens and roofing. The white is inspired by the use of white in simple bach design, as a common colour in nautical design and also modernist houses of North Shore. This is contrasted and brought to life by the Resene Waterborne Woodsman Natural stained cedar which expresses the natural colour and grain of timber and echoes the use of timber especially in traditional nautical design. The dark Resene Waterborne Woodsman Pitch Black stain to the retaining walls and fencing is to make these features recessive, so the planting can take centre stage.

The project required a large amount of excavation to fit comfortably within the neighbourhood, rising over three storeys from one end of the site to the other.

Architectural specifier: JWA Architects
Building contractor: Cadre Construction
Cedar Weatherboards: Herman Pacific
Client: Novar Developments Ltd
Fins, Louvres, Balustrades: Aluminium Technology
Painting contractor: R & R Painters
Photographer: Simon Devitt
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2019