88 | ARCHITECTURE Designgroup Stapleton Elliott Ltd Virginia Wright Six design studios creating top designs The brief was to design a multi-level apartment building exclusively with one-bedroom studios. Photos: Andy Spain Designgroup Stapleton Elliott Ltd. (DGSE) is a nationwide architectural practice with around 130 staff across six design studios spread from Auckland to Queenstown. Architect Nigel Dong is their Managing Director. DGSE work across many industry sectors both government and private: education, social housing, residential housing, commercial and industrial; they’ve done it all. Their work includes many different typologies: multi-level apartment buildings, retirement villages, schools, office buildings, multi-unit townhouses, and mixed-use commercial facilities; across all sizes. DGSE’s track record in expressions of architecture around the country is impressive but that doesn’t stop its architects and designers being open to new ideas when they come along. Both Nigel and Chris Gilby, a Senior Associate of DGSE, have recently collaborated on a housing development which is the first of its kind in Wellington, if not New Zealand. With the completion of Wellington’s inner-city bypass the client had secured the right to purchase a corner site in Te Aro, measuring 903sqm, sandwiched between State Highway One and the busy Victoria Street. The client already had a clear idea of how he wished to maximise the site’s potential, says Nigel. “The brief was to design a multi-level apartment building exclusively with one-bedroom studios. He was effectively introducing a new typology to the Wellington market at the time, with respect to size, with each of the apartments around 45 square metres.” “It was about the quality of appointment,” added Chris. ‘The client’s vision was to create something where people can live smaller, which is obviously the direction of housing intensification, but bringing quality of design to the forefront. You can live on your own without sacrificing style. Things like a full-size kitchen so you can cook a proper meal in there and having a decent sized wardrobe with plenty of storage.” The high-spec goes a lot further than quality joinery and fit-out however, thanks to some very clever design making the most of every square centimetre of those 45 square metres. Each apartment in the seven-storey building “We really thought about how people would be living in the unit and how to provide them the amenity in the best way we could.” has its own balcony to make the most of the panorama spanning from Mount Victoria to the east to the western hills of Kelburn. Floor to ceiling windows matching the 2.7 high stud give a sense of space and volume, with plenty of built-in storage provided to reduce the need for clutter. “We really thought about how people would be living in the unit and how to provide them the amenity in the best way we could. “There’s a full laundry concealed within cabinetry, the TV’s built into a cabinet too, so there’s a lot of built-in amenity there, built to a high standard,” says Chris. It’s high-end living in apartments built to a high-spec without blowing the budget according to Nigel, but nevertheless achieving a quality akin to what you might expect in a penthouse apartment rather than a traditional apartment measuring 45sqm. They gave equal care and attention to the bulk, form and siting of the building itself, knowing that it was a landmark site, and wanting the building to complement its neighbours and contribute to the richness of the area. Its height fits in with existing buildings, it’s built back from the site boundaries, and it presents a faceted façade to the street with cedar detailing on the soffits of the balconies offsetting the pre-cast concrete panels at either end of the building. As Nigel says, “it wasn’t about trying to build a cheap building to maximise a return, although that’s of course important for any development. The client was clear that he wanted to produce a quality building that contributed positively to the urban fabric of the city.” Having just won the Resene Colour Award and the Wellington Architecture Award for multi-unit housing at the New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards 2022, it seems the judges too approve of the building. It’s a win for DGSE and their client, a win for the apartment dwellers, and a win for the city. KAPITI - 04 296 1727 | WELLINGTON - 04 568 2323 Domestic | Commercial | Industrial Are pleased to be working in association with Electrical Contractors Ltd “Serious Electrical Contractors” Designgroup Stapleton Elliot Ltd Quantity Surveyors proud to be involved with Designgroup Stapleton Elliott
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