Some good old-fashioned door-knocking brought about a development of 42 new apartments with harbour, garden or city outlooks to be built on the Mission Bay ridgeline just opposite Eastridge Shopping Centre.
Martin Cooper, of development management company Cooper and Associates, and Mike Sullivan, who owns Clearwater Construction, will deliver OutlookMission Bay through their joint venture company, Countrywide Residences.
Martin says: "We have been looking at this area for a couple of years and the unitary plan has enabled it. So we went out and chased this site by door-knocking and talking to three individual owners of three neighbouring houses."
The third house will be removed in September leaving a 2571sq m site with good sun, wide views over Mission Bay to Rangitoto, close to public transport and amenities including Eastridge, Kepa Rd Bush and Mission Bay village.
The men, who each have development experience in their own right, intend Outlook's quality and reputation to pave the way for future joint developments.
Martin says the ridgeline location provides wide harbour views yet is handy enough for owners to walk the 1.4km down to Mission Bay beach for lunch or a swim. Apartments range from one-bedroom to three-bedroom penthouses with extras such as media rooms.
Outlook comprises three buildings, the largest a five-storey Kepa Rd tower maximising views over Mission Bay to Rangitoto Island.
To its north, two two-storey mews buildings allow some owners private courtyard gardens. These flank a sheltered shared garden incorporating a residents' barbecue-dining pavilion as part of Boffa Miskell's landscaping design.
Christchurch-based MAP Architects designed Outlook's facade predominantly in concrete and extensive double glazing within aluminium joinery.
Architect Simon Elvidge says it is "confident, elegant architecture to promote a strong sense of address on Kepa Rd ".
"The elevation is provided with an elegant veil of timber-look screens that provide privacy to the bedrooms and a fine grain scale appropriate to the suburban context."
There are no south-facing apartments and on the northern side apartments are glazed full width to take advantage of views. Most apartments in the tower include glass-sheathed "outdoor rooms".
The developers' focus on highly liveable space has seen them do everything from redesigning one kitchen layout five times until satisfied, to contemplating where owners put their vacuum cleaners.
Gretl Lukas' interior design includes kitchens featuring natural stone and oak finishes. Many apartments have walk-in laundries and all have air conditioning.
Kepa Road, Mission Bay. Photo / Supplied
Pet-friendly Outlook will have a car and pet-washing bay and basement car parking will include storage lockers.
Martin says although this is Countrywide Residences' first development it will benefit from the fact it is the builder, architect and structural engineer's 10th joint project.
Mike's building and civil engineering company, Clearwater Construction, has delivered many projects since starting in 1984, including 107 apartments in Thompson Park, Mt Wellington last year and the two towers of Oceanside Mount Maunganui.
Kepa Road, Mission Bay. Photo / Supplied
Martin's Cooper and Associates experience includes development managing Remuera's St Marks development (scheduled to be completed next year).
Outlook's first building consent will be lodged this month and the developers hope to start piling works in September with completion scheduled for late 2019.
The display suite includes a virtual reality experience and a five-storey scaffolding tower highlighting views.
