96 | Otherplaces T T Virginia Wright Enhancing architectural landscape BUILDING Dunedin-based, design-led property investment company Otherplaces Ltd is a family-owned firm that approaches its portfolio with the clear focus referenced by the name it adopted five years ago. ‘Other’, denoting something that is different or distinct from one already mentioned or known, and ‘places’, to differentiate between a space which somebody or something occupies and a place, as director Dylan Cazemier explains “A space turns into a place once you have meaning within that space. So for example a family living in a house imbues that space with meaning and a sense of belonging and the space becomes a place.” While the company had been investing in property in Dunedin for 15 years, it was when Dylan came back from Sydney, having followed his Masters degree in Property Investment and Development at the University of New South Wales, with six years as a development manager for large developers creating apartments and townhouses for other development companies, that the father-and-son team really found their focus. Dylan’s father Frank maintains a strategic oversight of the company in an advisory role as one of its directors, while Dylan’s role is more the day-to-day management of the company and the projects. “I wanted to learn best practice in Australia then bring that knowledge back to Dunedin and do property development better than we’d been doing it previously,” he explains. “As a design-led property company we’re not solely profit driven. The general ethos of Otherplaces is that we want to create good design outcomes with the buildings we develop, which may have a social angle incorporated into the design, or an environmental angle, or we’re simply trying to create a building that is more beautiful than it was originally,” says Dylan. They work with architects or designers with skills matching whichever project is currently at hand, bringing them in as soon as they have a site or a building to work with, such as for the recently completed boutique hotel and café EBB-Dunedin. Architect Gary Todd took the lead, working closely with Indyk Architects, chosen for their experience designing interiors for hotels such as the QT chain throughout Australia. But it’s the work of local artist Simon Kaan, integrated into the architecture, that brings the design-led ethos to the fore. “Otherplaces create places using design elements like this to create a sense of history. Simon created the image which is etched on to the front of the building. It’s an abstract representation of the first waka arriving from Polynesia. The site sits about 500 metres from what was then tidal flats in Otago Harbour and is now the reclaimed land of Dunedin’s CBD, so the image talks to that sense of place,” explains Dylan. A few kilometres away in Maori Hill a site in Cannington Place is taking shape as Otherplaces puts its distinctive mark on a high-end townhouse development designed to appeal to downsizers, many of whom may well have raised a family in a large house in the neighbourhood, as Dylan says. “With the children gone they’re looking for something more compact, luxurious, modern, and low maintenance, so that’s the gap we’re looking to fill.” Natural timber flooring and wool carpet demonstrate an environmental awareness with a premium feel, while the third bedroom of these spacious 163sqm townhouses can equally function as a bedroom for the grandkids, an office or a media room. A double-height void over the living area creates a sense of space and opulence, which is amplified by the oversized 2.7m-high ceilings throughout, with floor-to-ceiling windows bringing in abundant natural light. They chose white brick as the main architectural expression, which gives a sculptural impression while echoing the old white weatherboard villa that previously occupied the site. It’s extremely durable, and combined with extensive decking rather than lawn creates a low-maintenance environment. Once completed, these townhouses promise to add another residential element to the carefully selected projects Otherplaces develop. They take pride in their contribution to Dunedin’s architectural landscape, creating design-led buildings the Cazemier family intends to look just as good in 50 or 100 years as they do now. OTAGO REALTY GROUP LTD T/A BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 M 027 564 0007 E pam.timms@bayleys.co.nz M 027 768 8998 E abby.timms@bayleys.co.nz The recently completed boutique hotel and café EBB-Dunedin.
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