SCHOOL ZONES:
Browns Bay School, Long Bay College.
CONTACT:
John van Lierop, Harcourts, 0274 726 293.
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These properties are designed with height, space and outlook in mind, with green walls to soften the look.Bustling Browns Bay with its beautiful beach is a sought-after location that's about to get a different class of real estate.
Right now, 25 three- and four-level terraced houses are going up just 300m from the beach on an elongated site more traditionally associated with industrial use.
Designer William Taylor, of Taylored Studio, says although the concept of the yet-to-be built homes emerged from the industrial inspiration, each house will provide contemporary and sophisticated living. He describes the development as "industrial chic".
He says: "I'm going to use words from other people's interpretations now -- industrial boutique and industrial contemporary work. While the houses are terraced, and therefore attached, don't think Coronation Street."
These properties are designed with height, space and outlook in mind, and with green walls all around to soften the look. Green walls are living walls planted with ferns and flowers.
"The materials we were using, in terms of wire, mesh, and the way we were configuring it, really lent itself to growing vertically green walls so we've taken that opportunity."
The four-level houses will have a roof-top terrace to take in views of the ocean, and all the houses will have both a balcony and an outdoor courtyard.
"The name Anzac Lofts came out of the fact that we were lifting up into the light and the view, and you get a real sense of that when you're on that site.
"It's just loft living really, vertical living, comfortably, lifting up into the light and view," he says.
The houses will be part of a development planned to also include apartments and retail units, so it's a sizeable project and has certainly presented some challenges.
"It is a very difficult site to deal with," says William. "It's only 18m wide and 112m long but it's still 4200sq m of earth, so for anyone to have that sort of square meterage in that location it sort of screams 'let's do something of density that's of value to Browns Bay as a township'.
"Let's create suitable living that stacks up both quality-wise and economically wise, because it's such a great location."
He thinks the houses will suit people looking to scale down and live centrally who don't necessarily want an apartment.
Three signature materials -- timber, brick and metal panel -- are mixed throughout the development (tabled for completion by mid-2017) and will demarcate the different types of houses which open up towards the east-west, giving them room to breathe, he says.
Image 1 of 5: Just imagine ... cool, contemporary and spacious loft living just 300m from Browns Bay beach.
Privacy screens will ensure you won't be on top of your neighbours and sound-proofing will make sure they won't be able to hear your conversations.
As a designer, he has tried hard to give people individuality.
"In these sorts of dense developments, one of the biggest things is owning your own front doorstep from my point of view," he says.
"It's a place where you get to put your pot plant or where you get to do small things and small things count, I think, so we've tried our best to create those thresholds and celebrate them and provide enough space there for people to make them their own."
And Browns Bay is a great place to live, he adds, with the beach, cafes and restaurants.
"Man, there are some passionate Browns Bay lovers out there.
"There's a real little community there and the exciting thing about it is it seems to be growing.
"This is one project of hopefully a few that really regenerates and sees the redevelopment of Browns Bay into being a really lovely place to live in the future."
