ON OFFER:
Boutique development of 33 upmarket parkside apartments.
Two 1-bed plus study, 1-bth apartments (plus one car park).
Four 2-bed, 2-bth apartments (plus one car park).
Three 2-bed, 2-bth apartments (plus 2 car parks - tandem).
BODY CORP:
1-bed from $1638.66 (approx) a year, 2-bed from $2,753.07 (approx) a year.
Not many Auckland apartments look out to the greenery of a park.
That is the point of difference for the SOL apartments in Eden Terrace from many other apartment blocks in the city centre.
The soon-to-be completed block of 33 apartments sits on the border of Basque Park in Eden Terrace, so close to the grass they appear to be part of the park.
Developers David O'Connell and Gerald Fava of Link Lakeside Holdings say the parkside setting was the star attraction of this Fleet St property when they bought it.
Back then the site had a commercial building that was bulldozed to clear the section for this build.
For the design, they enlisted Steve Jensen of JCY Architects with a brief to: ●Create a design that is contemporary in its aesthetic and exacting in its quality. ●Have front-to-rear apartments ●Face north ●Have a high stud ●Be a building that blended with the park ●Have good working decks
Aspec Construction was commissioned for the build.
Completion of the concrete building - with its distinct shape and cedar panels to add warmth to the build - is scheduled for August this year with a few final flourishes before the proposed September opening.
Just nine units are still for sale. These are one-bedroom plus study units and two-bedroom units. All are one-level, north-facing freehold apartments looking out to the park.
They have floor areas ranging in size from 54.5sq m to 119.9sq m (includes deck area) and pricing starts from $689,000.
SOL, 22 Fleet St, Eden Terrace. Photo / Supplied
Fava says the idea was that the design would be integrated into Basque Park and to ensure the building connected with all aspects of its surroundings.
The design team also worked in with Auckland City Parks including landscape designer Ted Smyth, who was responsible for the redesign of popular Basque Park.
"We wanted the building's design to reflect the park setting," Fava says. "It is like having a huge back yard that you don't have to mow or pay for."
The end walls of the building feature large circles that represent the Basque Park's natural elements such as the rocks, timber and water features.
Inside the apartments, importance was given to ensuring the apartments have natural light with floor-to-ceiling glazing.
A design consequence of this focus on light was the atrium at the back of the building, that evolved as a breezeway and connects all the apartments, affording individual access while maintaining privacy.
SOL, 22 Fleet St, Eden Terrace. Photo / Supplied
"And the apartments have large balconies, plenty of space and lots of glass," says O'Connell . "The emphasis is on these outdoor spaces being usable as well as looking great."
He says purchasers are mainly in the 40-to-50-years age groups who want to downsize and live close to the CBD. All but one sale has been to owner-occupiers.
"This was part of our original brief to Steve, that we wanted a design that would attract owner occupiers," he says.
"This is livable as opposed to rentable," says Fava. The building is also pet-friendly for small animals.
He says when they started the development, Eden Terrace was a little bit of a forgotten place but in the past three or four years it has started to boom again.
