See inside Stonefields’ stylish new build
This exciting new build, in desirable Stonefields, is inspired by nature — mostly the nearby maunga, discovers DONNA FLEMING
Nigel McKenna knows a good thing when he sees it. One of New Zealand’s most experienced property developers, he’s been responsible for well-known projects like the Metropolis building, Beaumont Quarter and Lighter Quay.
So the fact that he and his company, Templeton Group, have chosen Stonefields in Mt Wellington as the location for their latest residential development, College & Mason, speaks volumes about the master-planned suburb.
“In the current market, Stonefields is as good as it gets,” says Nigel, whose 30-plus years experience also includes leading the management of the master-planning process for Viaduct Harbour.
“It’s not far from town, it has lots of amenities and it is walking distance to pretty much everything you could want, from a train station to a supermarket. It’s also a very safe and quiet suburb because there are no major roads going through it.”
Choosing to build there made good sense, Nigel says. “I’m privileged, I am coming into a larger scale community that has already been wellestablished.
“There are already shops, a bar and cafe at Stonefields Market, which is right across the road.
“I’m just building on what is already good infrastructure and providing a slightly different product.”
That product, College & Mason, comprises 93 terraced homes to be constructed in three stages.
The design by renowned firm Walker Group Architects is inspired by nature, with the homes crafted from natural materials that reference the surrounding landscape, which is dominated by nearby Mt Wellington.
In fact the volcano inspired the striking geometric design of the roofs of the College & Mason homes, explains Nigel.
“Each of the roofs has its own peak, and the idea of making a feature of the roofscape was driven by me standing on the site with the architects and saying that the one thing we noticed when we looked around was Mt Wellington, which rises up.
“There is a central linear park in the middle of the space and we are looking at introducing a lot more trees than you would normally find in this kind of development.”
“That led to me saying we should do something with our design that rises up, hence we’ve lifted the roofs so the roofscape is interesting and gives each house its own unique identity.”
As well as distinctive design that will have an exciting visual impact, it was important to Templeton to create a development that had a sense of community and also plenty of green space.
“There is a central linear park in the middle of the space and we are looking at introducing a lot more trees than you would normally find in this kind of development, so trees are a significant feature.”
Climbing plants in outdoor spaces around the houses will be used to soften the bold exterior materials, which include vertical timber boards, cast concrete, Piha black schist rock and matte ebony metalspan roofing.
Inside, the interiors continue the natural theme and include warm wood, sandstone and matte black joinery.
Another important consideration for the developers was providing flexible living solutions, which is why College & Mason will include four and five-bedroom homes, as well as two and threebedroom ones.
“We’ve found that more families want to live in these kind of homes and want this extra space,” says Nigel.
“But the research we did during and after lockdown has led us to believe that there’s a shift to more people working from home.
“So while there may be five bedrooms, only three may be used for sleeping in; the others may be used for working from home, or any number of reasons.”
Those may include extra accommodation for extended family or an au pair, a gym or media room or even as a way of providing income.
“We have some units where there is a ground floor space that could be a bedroom or office but could also be rented out to generate additional income.
“Having these extra spaces provides lots of flexibility.”
Medium-density housing like College & Mason has become appealing to people who want homes that don’t require lots of upkeep.
“They like the fact that we use low-maintenance materials so you don’t have to spend time painting weatherboards, fixing gutters and mowing lawns.”
Designed to be practical and functional as well as aesthetically captivating, the homes all come with dedicated parking or internal garages.
Sale: Homes are priced from $935,000
Contact: Julie Quinton, Bayleys,
021 894 071; Trent Quinton,
021 894 070; Paula Halford,
021 705 199