New Neighbourhood
Bean Rock Terraces, St Heliers
Let’s give it plenty of architectural flair, is a phrase every architect likes to hear from their client. And when that instruction was included in Auckland architect Darren Jessop’s brief for Bean Rock Terraces, a new development he was working on in St Heliers, he was only too happy to make sure there were lots of special touches.
“The client was really after quality, and wanted it to be a step up from anything else that you might find at the moment,” says Darren, of awardwinning firm Jessop Architects. “We thought long and hard about everything we did for this project so we could give him that.”
Bean Rock Terraces is located on a large site in Towai St. The artisan enclave will eventually include 23 terraced homes and an apartment building, and so far 11 of the terraces have been completed, with three being sold unconditionally already.
An urban planner was part of the team, looking at the spaces available and how best to use them.
“We looked at everything from the best ways of getting cars in and out of the site and even where to put rubbish bins and letterboxes,” says Darren. “We paid a lot of attention to details that are often overlooked.”
The exteriors of the houses are a striking mix of metal cladding, brick and vertical cedar. Inside, they are infused with style thanks to the use of materials such as European oak tongue and groove flooring in the living and dining areas and the same long, thin bricks used outside.
Particular attention has been paid to the kitchens, says Darren. They feature Via Lattea stone bench tops, Scholtes appliances — including a professional stainless steel oven and gas hob — and a silicone black and chrome mixer tap. A combination of timber and high- gloss black cabinetry, elegant pendant lights and tiled splashbacks add to the feeling of sophistication.
In the bathrooms, the matt black tapware and heated towel rails, along with lacquered timber vanity units, have been used to great effect alongside the tiled floors and walls.
There are two slightly different layouts for the homes currently available, but both have open plan living/ dining/ kitchens with a cloakroom, laundry, foyer and internal access double garage downstairs, and three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs.
Also on the upper level is an open area at the top of the stairs that can be used as a second living room.
“We wanted to have this extra space that could be a hang- out area, a library, a study area for the kids — a kind of nook that gives you lots of options,” says Darren.
Outside, features include private courtyards with motorised louvre canopies over the deck. Some of the homes have balconies on the upper level with glass balustrades and there are also upstairs views from some houses of the harbour and the Bean Rock lighthouse, after which the development is named.
Darren says extensive landscaping will help Bean Rock Terraces to feel like an oasis in the city that provides a restful and private retreat the moment you drive in off Towai St.
“It doesn’t feel like a large development, more like clusters of homes,” he says. “We think it will appeal particularly to people who are downsizing from bigger, quality homes in the area, and also to those looking for a lock- up- and- leave property. ”