18 | ALP Studios & Breen Construction: Wanaka Development T T Richard Loader Perfect location for Wanaka project Alps Studios offers quality visitor accommodation within walking distance to Wanaka town centre. “Each storey occupies a complete unit, with both bottom and upper stories a mirror of each other, All finishings are high-end with beautiful wooden floors, and tiled bathrooms.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Within walking distance to Wanaka Town Centre, a food precinct replete with well-known restaurants and bars, and near Pembroke Park, Alp Studio’s new luxury visitor accommodation will offer guests the perfect location when completed in November of this year. Located in Brownston Street, the main thoroughfare that runs behind Wanaka Town Centre, Alp Studios is being constructed on a site currently occupied by a commercial building previously owned by Adventure Consultants, a well-known local business specialising in global and local mountain guiding. Alp Studios, owned by Auckland businessman David Gibson, purchased the site in February 2020 as a commercial investment, and leased the two-storey building to Lakes District building company Breen Construction for its local planning and sales hub. “The building was originally built as a home, but was converted to commercial use in 2012,” says David. “There was a spare piece of land at the back of the section and eighteen months after I bought the site, I started to think that I could do something along the lines of visitor accommodation. “There is a shortage of high quality visitor accommodation options within walking distance to Wanaka township, and while there are many high quality Airbnb options, they are predominantly further out, and not within walking distance of the town centre.” David’s response was to develop a new two-storey building consisting of two units of visitor accommodation, positioned adjacent to the existing commercial building. “Wanaka is a very safe environment and very family orientated. “The location of the visitor accommodation means that while the parents can be enjoying the area’s hospitality, the children can walk home safely. “The location is also only four doors down from an emerging number of food trucks. The location provides a great deal of appeal to the town’s visitors.” Local Wanaka Architect Chris Norman from Norman Chaney, had previously transformed the existing building from residential to commercial, and was chosen to design the new visitor accommodation, ensuring it remained in keeping with the existing timber clad building. “Each storey occupies a complete unit, with both bottom and upper stories a mirror of each other,” says David. “Going left to right, there is bedroom/bathroom, with a kitchen/dining in the middle, and bedroom/bathroom on the right. A shared amenity courtyard area provides guests with bbq, spa pool and coffee area. The design includes EV charging and bike and ski storage, and a lot of schist has been used around various parts of the building. All finishings are high-end with beautiful wooden floors, and tiled bathrooms.” The new building has also been zoned for both commercial and visitor accommodation, and the building’s design, enables it to be switched to commercial, providing for long term flexibility. David says Breen Construction was the perfect choice to lead the construction of the visitor accommodation, given that they were tenants of the existing building, but also because of their reputation for quality craftsmanship throughout Dunedin, Alexandra, Wanaka, and Queenstown. “Our relationship with the Breen Construction team really is working out very well, and we are very pleased with the work they are doing. “They commenced construction in November 2023 and will be completed in November 2024, ready for Christmas occupancy. “Breen Construction have a new site they are developing in the main Industrial area of Wanaka and they will vacate the commercial building in April 2025 at which point the commercial building will be available for lease again.”
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