for the record

Fifteen years ago, two companies had a vision for Carlaw Park, where more than 3ha of prime land on the Auckland City fringe had been freed up for development.

McDougall Reidy and Haydn & Rollett Construction joined forces to redevelop the site, lured by its tremendous potential. McDougall Reidy director Greg Reidy says the proximity to the Auckland Domain, the University of Auckland, arterial roads and public transport links meant the site was well suited to a mixed-use development.

"In many ways we see it setting a benchmark for Auckland," he says. "We have already completed the 12,000m² Carlaw commercial precinct, the Quest Hotel, a car park and a number of related retail and amenities. The University of Auckland's student village, with 130 apartments and 433 bedrooms, is the final stage that introduces the residential element. This is not an office park that closes down at night it's a lively urban community."

Reidy says work will begin on Stage 2 of the Carlaw Park Student Village development in August. This will provide another 82 apartments.

Kim Barrett, managing director, Haydn & Rollett Construction, says the company was both the developer-client and main contractor.

"From a cost efficiency viewpoint, student accommodation facilities can be demanding," Barrett says. "Much of the success of this project is due to our integrated team approach. The joint venture partners and the architect were all involved right from the conceptual stage."

Barrett says the project needed to be high density to provide the required returns, so the buildings are higher than originally intended. This in turn determined the intricate facade, which was designed to break down the perceived scale of the building, and to avoid an institutional look.

"The facade posed numerous construction challenges there is a lot of building in a small footprint. We were also faced with changes to the earthquake codes that impacted on the design and construction. Water testing was carried out in a laboratory to ensure all the pop-out windows would be completely waterproof, and many prototypes were made for the concrete panels."

For more details, contact McDougall Reidy, PO Box 1147, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140, phone (09) 308 9655. Website: www.mcdougallreidy.co.nz.

To contact Haydn & Rollett Construction, PO Box 100141, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland 0745, phone (09) 444 7379. Web: www.haydnrollett.co.nz

Story by: Trendsideas