The lungs of Kāpiti!

The Civic Centre. The Wellington School of Architecture. Sky City and the Sky Tower. These are a few of the many significant and iconic buildings and spaces designed by architect Gordon Moller. But we think his latest work, related to cultural community spaces and the 600 medium-density houses being built in the heart of Ōtaki, places him in exceptional stead to discuss the challenges and opportunities of low-cost housing, the urbanisation of Aotearoa New Zealand, and how to design spaces that enable you to reimagine the potential of a place.

We asked Gordon for his thoughts on the potential of Kāpiti Airport.

“People need a variety of housing. But what has become difficult, with building material supply issues and increasing inflation, is that the cost of building is a challenge for many. Houses have become less affordable and people are changing their perceptions around what they need to live a well-balanced life. This is the urbanisation of Aotearoa New Zealand.

New Zealand has such a great climate and environment, and housing should respect this and facilitate a relationship between inside and outside. We want individuality, but we don’t need something bigger than the budget. I think there is an opportunity for this on the Kāpiti Coast.

The Council has defined substantial growth for our region, and to satisfy all of these needs I have touched on, we have an opportunity with Kāpiti Airport.

I made a submission to the Council about a concept of creating new housing whilst retaining a fully operational airport on the existing land. I believe that through clever design, we can have both.

We went through the process of understanding the operational needs of the airport and looking at the residual land. The west zone toward the beach could achieve 1000-3500 houses, depending on