One of the reasons Kiwi developer Mark Cooper is so impassioned about his Lighthouse apartment building is because he knows better than most that Karangahape Rd is truly blossoming again.
Mark says: "I lived in Karangahape Rd 25 years ago in a building I'd bought, which had the old Dogand Trumpet Tavern in it.
"As long as I can remember people have always been saying 'K Rd is starting to come of age again' and it never really did, until now.
"Things have been changing in the past five years with the flow-on effects of the increasing growth and vibrancy of Ponsonby Rd.
"And this is at a time when people have really come around to the idea of quality inner-city apartment living.
"Mind you, Karangahape Rd still has a bit of edginess, excitement and style and that's part of what people appreciate about it."
He believes he'll complement that ethos with the boutique 31-dwelling Lighthouse building of apartments and penthouses, designed with a distinctive facade by architect Alister Kitchen of Leuschke Group Architects.
It'll rise on the corner site where the vibrantly yellow former Dick Smith Electronics building is now. This will deliver northerly views, with many residences above Level One having a view of the harbour.
The striking arched steel framing on the front of the Lighthouse building references, in inverted form, the arched shape seen above windows in the lovely three-storey brick heritage building next door.
Lighthouse Apartments. Photo / Supplied
The exterior also features plenty of glass, vertical ribbed profile ColorSteel and Alucobond aluminium composite panels.
The name Lighthouse relates to its site on the corner of no-exit Cobden St that bestows light and openness on the apartments, which cannot be built out. It also encapsulates Mark's intention this building be something of a beacon because of its design.
More than half the apartments and penthouses in the building have already sold off the plans. Mark says although buyers range demographically from young couples to downsizers there seems to be a common theme.
"Each is their own kind of person, not the sort of person content to just buy in some big apartment block. Many tend to be a bit creative.
Lighthouse Apartments. Photo / Supplied
"They appreciate the effort that has gone into the overall look of the building and they appreciate the character of this neighbourhood."
The address is close to the Nelson St Cycleway, Queen St and Ponsonby. And K Rd itself has a growing number of destination bars and galleries and eateries such as Coco's Cantina and Madame George and food and beverage collective K Road Food Workshop.
Two of the three larger penthouse-style dwellings have sold leaving only one two-bedroom residence available, a level five sub-penthouse, which has a basement car park included in its price.
The other apartments available are one-bedroom or studio layouts, some with opaque sliding screens helping screen off the bedroom internally while still delivering good natural light.
Lighthouse Apartments. Photo / Supplied
Mark has recently spent 15 years overseas doing developments in the US and Switzerland.
