From the architect. A medium density housing development on a small 564 sq.m Mount Victoria site in central Wellington, New Zealand. There are seven single-level apartments and one two-level apartment, spread over three stories, with a clock tower defining the street corner. The complex sits over a below grade carpark with light timber framing clad in corrugated iron and plastered concrete panels. These provide a variety of textures that help relate the building to its context.
The building is arranged around a north facing open courtyard containing a mixture of public and private spaces at ground level. Each apartment connects visually to the street and this common space. Living and outdoor spaces are private and light filled with varieties of views. The indoor-outdoor connections are expressed as projections added to the façade, which give comfort and privacy to the inhabitants and allow the building to express itself to the street.
The mixture of apartment sizes and their relationships enable the development to read more as a village than a housing complex, allowing a connection with the surrounding Mount Victoria neighbourhood.
