Tonal green-corridor design elevates medium density living

10 Oct 2022

When you’re crafting a building that is a frontrunner of architectural typology within a neighbourhood, the pressure is on to set the bar high. Using Resene colour to create a unique experience both for residents and the wider community, the architects of this apartment block have made it a landmark.

The Vanguard, the first multi-level building in an underdeveloped section of Great South Road, Auckland acts as a gateway to the retail precinct of Newmarket and feeds into the Government’s plan for greater intensification around metropolitan hubs. “It was a development which would start to rejuvenate the area,” explains project architect Patrick Kelly of Gel Architects. “It needed to be modern, use quality, durable materials and be aesthetically appealing.”

For decades the section was occupied by four rundown single-storey flats; now it accommodates 34 contemporary apartments in a six-level residential block. A commercial offering at ground level activates the street frontage, bringing a public face to a private development. “The client wanted an adventurous building which he would be proud of every time he passed by,” says Patrick. 

The umbrella concept is of two separate blocks that follow the axes of the site but coalesce into one structure - an approach which breaks up the façade and allows each elevation its own personality. Resene paints have been instrumental in the architectural toolbox which vies away from the monolithic and leans in to an expressive, textural approach that takes advantage of wraparound views and values natural light and ventilation as much as shade and privacy.

Streetside, a black frame made of aluminium panels is accompanied by precast walls on the western elevation painted in Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Element to match. The frame projects forward to make a robust statement facing this urban corridor and embraces deep balconies with a view towards the conical landmark of Maungawhau/Mt Eden.

Adjacent to this, the entrance to The Vanguard is defined at ground level by a curved concrete wall sealed in solventborne Resene Aquapel which channels people gently to the front door. Above this there’s an abstract screen that meanders sinuously up the building within a contrasting precast concrete form primed with Resene Concrete 3 in 1 and then painted in Environmental Choice approved Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Half Black White. The screen represents the grain of a weathered totara milepost which once defined the distances along Great South Road – part of New Zealand’s earliest highway.

On the east/west axis, Gel Architects used geographical cues in their design response. Towards the west, where the view takes in the cityscape including the spire of the Sky Tower, the façade is sharp and angular, while on the eastern elevation, the approach is gentler, more organic. “We see this as the ‘rural’ side of the building in that it faces towards the Waikato,” says Patrick. Great South Road was the first trunk road to the south and became a vital supply line for connecting the emerging city to the fertile lands of that region.     

It is to the east, then, that four complementary Resene greens form a decorative and peaceful palette. “We decided to use the external walkway to the apartments to create interest for residents, and those looking onto the building,” says Patrick. “We wanted to make it a nice, calm experience getting to your front door.”

Ultimately Resene Sushi, Resene Dell, Resene Untamed and Resene Wild Willow were chosen. The team wanted to play on the idea of walking through a forest, so the Resene colours had to be bright but also maintain an earthy, natural feel. “There was a lot of debate. Sometimes the greens would look good on the swatch but when we looked at the colours on slightly larger washouts, suddenly they became a bit too vibrant. We worked closely with Resene and Andrea Burnley, an interior designer at Yellow Fox, to choose them,” explains Patrick.

Fibre-cement panels painted in these carefully selected Resene shades reinforce the breezeway feeling and pair with translucent polycarbonate panels (also in various greens) and a vertical garden planted on the exterior of the corridor. Tecomanthe speciosa clambers up the railings to form a living screen and concrete-block planter boxes, which thrive with Ligularia reniformis underplanted with Muehlenbeckia axillaris, have a slightly retro feel.

“It turned out awesome,” says Patrick of the colour journey. “We’ve had feedback from a few residents who say they really like how playful the experience is.”

Having this serene-in-green corridor to come home to is just one aspect of the architecture that elevates the everyday of medium-density living. Other practical facets push the development into a more mindful tomorrow. For example, every apartment has a basement carpark but also, a bike rack. And there are bike racks out front on the street for visitors and members of the local community to use.

The Vanguard sets a precedent for our urban future. Each apartment ushers in a view that makes it feel ‘of its place’, deep balconies accommodate the way Kiwis like to live and the use of Resene colours has brought a touch of the jungle to the big smoke.

Architect Design Gel Architects www.gelarchitects.com
Interior design Yellowfox www.yellowfox.co.nz
Painter www.aapainters.com.au
Builder Form Building and Developments www.formnz.co.nz
Landscape architect Sola Landscape Architects www.sola.net.nz

Images Mark Scowen and Finesse Photography Ltd

Gel Architects used Resene colours to lend unique personality to The Vanguard, a gateway project on the outskirts of Newmarket, Auckland. The façade of the building that faces Great South Road is made up of a black box that projects forward and an entrance, defined by an abstract screen, that is accommodated by a slimmer box painted a contrasting shade of Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Half Black White. The curved wall at the entrance is finished in solventborne Resene Aquapel sealant, a clear silicone water repellent for application on most porous building materials to impart watershedding properties.

The eastern elevation, which faces towards the Waikato, is a tapestry of greens. Great South Road was one of New Zealand’s first highways, a vital link to the fertile hinterlands. The architects envisioned this as a more ‘rural’ side to the building and used fibre-cement panels painted in Resene Sushi, Resene Dell, Resene Untamed and Resene Wild Willow, along with translucent screens and a living wall, to bring dynamism to the façade. The white wall is painted in Environmental Choice approved Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Half Black White.

Tecomanthe speciosa grows up railings and wire on the exterior of the balconies on the eastern elevation to create a green corridor and increase the biodiversity within the urban landscape. The green wall panels are Resene Sushi, Resene Dell, Resene Untamed and Resene Wild Willow.

Tractor seat plants (Ligularia reniformis) with their great, glossy leaves are underplanted with dainty Muehlenbeckia axillaris in concrete-block planter boxes in the green corridor. Gel Architects and Yellow Fox spent quite some time choosing the colours that backdrop this planting, selecting a palette of four greens - Resene Sushi, Resene Dell, Resene Untamed and Resene Wild Willow - that was vibrant but not too garish.

An abstract screen that defines the entrance to The Vanguard was based on the woodgrain of the totara milepost markers that once ran along Great South Road. To create the wall Resene ConcreteSeal 3 in 1 was applied to precast concrete before topcoats in Environmental Choice approved Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Half Black White were applied.

Gel Architects created bridge-like entries to the individual apartments that traverse a ‘river’ of green planting. Translucent Rodeca panels provide privacy to the bedrooms from the corridor and four complementary shades of Resene Sushi, Resene Dell, Resene Untamed and Resene Wild Willow bring a contemporary but calming feeling to the journey of arrival.

Earthy black Resene Element contrasts with Resene Half Black White on the west-facing side of the building. Image by Finesse Photography Ltd.

Published: 10 Oct 2022