Retirement: Resort-style retirement

By VICKI HOLDER

When the children have left home and you no longer have the energy to maintain a big house and large garden, it makes sense to downsize.

Moving to a smaller home and changing your lifestyle can be difficult. However, the Waitakere Gardens retirement village makes the process easy by giving older people exactly what they want.

The creators of this village did such a good job that they won an award for their efforts. Known by many of its residents as "the Henderson Hilton", it won the Fisher & Paykel Multi-Unit Residential Property Award in this year's Property Council of New Zealand/Rider Hunt Building Awards. The judges were looking for flair, innovation, design excellence and entrepreneurial spirit.

The developer and designer, Vision Senior Living and Architects Patterson, proved the critics wrong by creating a unique, multi-level design for the apartments.

Vision Senior Living's managing director, Peter Bourke, says he was told that he would never get retired people to live off the ground, "because they liked to feel the grass under their feet".

"In fact, the top-floor apartments sold first. We believe it's the outlook and the added security that attracts the residents," he says.

The first stage of Waitakere Gardens, completed in 1999, consists of apartments on four levels that open to a large, internal, sunny atrium. Big, open, communal spaces on the ground floor incorporate a cafe-style street area, where residents can gather for coffee and listen to live piano music. Other features include a sunny restaurant that caters for up to 100 people, an arts and crafts centre and a "bloke's shed".

Just off the street, a cosy library extends to a glazed conservatory, which soaks up the atmosphere of the subtropical gardens that surround the village.

Contrary to many retirement complexes, common facilities were constructed early in the development, including a swimming pool and a gym off to one side of the atrium.

A sense of community is the biggest aspect of the design, says Peter Eising of Architects Patterson.

"We created a resort-style environment to give retired people companionship, security, care and enjoyment.

"The greatest feedback we get is from the residents. The facilities, such as the cafe and pool, add to a lifestyle many of them wouldn't have dreamed of. Making people feel good - that's what design is all about."

Waitakere Gardens is built on a former commercial site in the heart of Henderson. The location provides all the ingredients for a great lifestyle, with the shops, library, recreation centres, clubs and Waitakere Hospital all close by. Consequently, only about 40 per cent of residents have cars, for which parking is provided.

Stages One, Two and Three of the development have been popular and the apartments are fully occupied. The new building, part of Stage Four, is almost finished. Nine of the 12 apartments on offer have sold. Another building is to go up next door, and 10 of those 18 apartments have also sold. When the village is complete, which will be in the next two or three years, it will consist of 240 units.

Residents can choose from single-level one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which are connected to the atrium building by covered walkways. Smartly decorated, they feature up-to-date furnishings and a choice of three modern colour schemes.

The kitchens are fully equipped with Fisher & Paykel appliances, pantries, good storage and ironing boards, while the bathrooms incorporate quality fittings and large, user-friendly showers.

The larger apartments feature a semi-en suite with the master bedroom. The carpeted lounge and dining areas in the ground floor apartments open to a garden courtyard, while the upper-level apartments open to balconies that adjoin the master bedrooms.

Safety is paramount, so all the apartments have three panic buttons that are monitored around the clock. If someone needs help, it is there immediately. Smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler have also been installed. The whole village is fenced and the gates are locked at night.

While the village is targeted at active retired people, a new service to provide meals, washing and house-cleaning will be operating in a few months time.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: Waitakere Gardens, 15 Sel Peacock Drive, Henderson.

FEATURES: Apartments in resort-like grounds. Features include cafe, restaurant, heated pool, gym,
security; outdoor living.

SIZE: Stage Four 1 bed 54.82sq m, 2 beds from 66.61sq m, 3 bedrooms 87.17sq m; Stage Five garden
mews 1 bed 38.9sq m.

PRICE: Stage Four 1 bed $179,000, 2 beds from $239,000, 3 beds $298,000; Stage Five garden mews from $140,000.

AGENT: Yvonne Green and Russell Blair, Waitakere Gardens. Ph 837 0512 bus.