Woodridge Subdivision
Woodridge subdivision is located in the northern suburbs of Wellington, which is planned as the northern growth area for the city. This is a 600 Lot residential development which commenced in the mid 1980s with medium sized stages (30-50 Lots) being progressively implemented since that time.
The client is a Wellington family with a building background and over time the management structure has evolved to the second generation of this family.
Woodridge is a controlled development insofar as sections are not sold to the general public, but rather the building arm negotiates designs and markets total housing packages, including the land.
In the early stages the development was targeting first home buyers, but the project has progressively upgraded to executive style homes.
The major challenge in carrying out moderate to large-scale earthworks on steep Wellington hillsides, is the management and control of silt and erosion. The management of stormwater runoff is carefully directed and controlled to minimise the adverse affects of receiving water downstream.
Kotuku Park
Kotuku Park is a 300 Lot residential subdivision being developed at the urban fringe of Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington.
The site lies adjacent to the Waikanae River and an estuary scientific reserve of national importance (habitat for rare native plants and a myriad of birdlife). This coastal site posed challenges in designing innovative stormwater drainage systems to capture potential contamination, before filtering in purpose-built lakes and discharge to the ecologically sensitive estuary.
The concept design seeks to better integrate the residential and natural environments. The housing surrounds a large centrally located reserve system incorporating lakes, wetlands, active playing field, walkways, boardwalks and extensive planting of locally indigenous species. A large central sand dune was retained within the reserve area as a local feature, with a lookout across the scientific reserve to Kapiti Island. The reserve system also includes an historic burial site of local Iwi and European settlers, which has been developed and landscaped in cooperation with the descendents of both ethnic groups.
Due to the unique location of the site, local environmental groups, Department of Conservation and Iwi have kept a watchful eye on all stages of the development. As the development is now approaching completion, it is very pleasing to have the support of these organizations that had earlier seriously questioned whether housing should even be built in such an environment.
Brentwood Residential Development
The Brentwood development is located in Taupo, in the central North Island of New Zealand. This is a 650 Lot residential subdivision in close proximity to Lake Taupo – a major NZ tourist attraction featuring trout fishing and most aquatic sports and associated activities.
The concept plan provides for a housing mix from apartments, lifestyle village, standard residential to low density housing adjoining neighbouring rural land. The residential areas are balanced by open space components incorporating sports grounds, small children’s neighbourhood parks and a developed gully system which provides a natural break in the built environment, together with important pedestrian linkages.
The porous pumice subsoil provided an excellent medium for ground soakage, but was highly subject to erosion with potential contamination of the water in Lake Taupo. The challenge therefore, was to design a reserve system incorporating active and passive recreational components with integral stormwater runoff and soakage elements. This involved converting flat-bottomed gullies into high amenity landscaped features with capacity for storage and underground soakage on-site.
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