Auckland design competition for medium density housing

Media release Tuesday 20 May, 2014

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Auckland design competition seeks exemplary models of medium density housing

Responding to Aucklands housing shortage and to concerns about the quality of medium-density housing in the ever-growing city, the New Zealand Institute of Architects is partnering with Ockham Residential to run a design competition for a multi-unit residential development in a mixed-use area in inner-city Eden Terrace.

Auckland urgently requires more medium-density housing, says Pip Cheshire, President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, and Aucklanders have to be convinced that this type of housing can be produced to a good standard.

Cheshire notes that the Auckland Housing Accord agreed by the Council and the Government calls for more than 30,000 new dwellings in Special Housing Areas, and that many of these homes will be apartments and townhouses out of necessity.

A range of well-designed, infill residential projects are vital to promote community understanding and acceptance of higher density housing types in suburban locations.

Its important that we the Council, developers and architects dont just tell the public about the need for medium density housing, but that we show that this housing model can be successfully integrated into selected neighbourhoods.

We need to tap into the creativity of New Zealands architects to design smaller, well-designed homes that are more socially and environmentally sustainable.

For these reasons, Cheshire says, the New Zealand Institute of Architects is pleased to work with Ockham Residential, a company with a strong record in the development of innovative, high-quality medium density housing projects in Aucklands inner suburbs. The design competition is for a multi-unit development site in Akepiro Street, near the city end of Dominion Road.

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Auckland design competition for medium density housing