Three Kings development, Mt Eden. Illustration / Fletcher Construction
It's not that long ago that a large chunk of land alongside Auckland's Big King volcano was the city's largest producer of scoria.
But, for the past couple of years, developers, architects, builders and landscapers have been working their magic, and bit by bit, the quarry in the Auckland suburb of Three Kings is being transformed into a new Fletcher Living community. Now the second stage of the development is well under way and available to purchase.
There will be 59 apartments in the four-level Obsidian building, on the corner of Mt Eden Rd and Kimiora St, and although it might seem large, thoughtful design means it has features you'd normally miss out on with a block that size.
"It is quite a big building, but because it has been designed with three separate cores, it is more like three buildings joined together," says Ed Hosken, the director of DKO Architecture, which designed Obsidian.
"You get the benefits of a bigger building but the intimacy of something much smaller.
Breaking it down into three also gives you design flexibility. It means you can do things like have some apartments with dual aspects, something Kiwis are keen on."
Most of the apartments face either east/west or north , and careful consideration has been given to letting in plenty of light.
DKO — which specialises in medium density housing and has offices in New Zealand, Australia and Vietnam — was involved in the master planning of the development, as well as designing some of the apartments and terraced homes in the first stage, which are now occupied.
"We've had really good feedback about them," says Ed.
The company has also been responsible for the interior design.
"It's quite a holistic approach; a full service. We think architecture and design should go hand-in-hand and our interior designers are very much part of the team," says Ed.
There are two interior colour palettes — classic and contemporary — both of which feature natural hues in different shades. Features include caesarstone benchtops in the kitchens, Fisher & Paykel appliances and fully tiled bathrooms.
Ed says the apartments are well-crafted and well-proportioned. The ceiling height in the living rooms and bedrooms is 2.6m, and even the smallest one-bedroom apartments have been designed to make the maximum use of space. The living rooms, for example, have alcoves for a desk and study area.
Outside, Obsidian will have a simple but striking facade, with most of the visual impact provided by the balconies.
"We are letting the balconies do the talking," says Ed.
The apartments come with storage lockers in the basement, and most — other than several one-bedroom apartments available under the Auckland Affordable Buying Scheme — have one carpark. Three bedroom apartments have two.
Obsidian's location makes travelling into the city by bus easy. There's a supermarket, library, gym and medical centre nearby in Three Kings and Three Kings School is just up the road.
And Obsidian residents will be spoiled by having a top-notch cafe on the premises. A retail space downstairs has been let and though Ed can't reveal yet who will be running the cafe, it is someone with a great reputation in the industry.
"The fact that residents can just pop downstairs for a coffee or a meal is going to be hard to beat," he says.
So far, the development is attracting a wide range of people, and Ed believes it is going to have a great community feel.
"We think it is really adding to the neighbourhood, as well as helping to solve Auckland's housing crisis."
It's expected buyers will be able to move into the Obsidian apartments early next year.