Apartment LivingPenguin NZ
RRP $50.00
‘Diverse as they are — classic,
converted or contemporary — the projects on these pages offer solutions for
living more connectedly while consuming resources more efficiently.’
Housing
pressures and a more urban lifestyle in the main centres are leading
New Zealanders to embrace apartment living in a way they never have before.
DINKS (Dual Income, No Kids), empty nesters and many priced out of the
freestanding housing market are turning to apartment living to secure a
foothold on the property ladder, or free up cash for other lifestyle ventures.
‘More than 150 apartments are now sold every month in central Auckland, with the post GFC slump in the market fast receding. And the sector is finally shaking free of the shackles that have caused potential buyers to hesitate. Issues surrounding poor management of apartment buildings, leaky building worries, the cost of earthquake strengthening and post-earthquake insurance hikes have largely been addressed,’ the NZ Herald reported in March 2014.
‘As
Auckland’s population increases, so the range of apartments spreads, and
already there are large apartment projects in suburban areas such as Manukau,
Ellerslie, New Lynn, Mt Wellington and parts of the
North Shore.’
And
it is not just Auckland experiencing an apartment boom. Wellington,
Christchurch and larger regional centres such as Tauranga have all seen a
healthy increase in apartment building and sales.
Just
as her first book Small
House Living tuned into the trend for New Zealanders
to build smaller homes, Catherine Foster’s new book, Apartment Living New Zealand, embraces the diversity on offer with
this increasingly popular style of living.
Beautifully
photographed and thoughtfully written, Apartment Living New Zealand celebrates an emerging style of housing
that delivers convenience, affordability and the stimulation of a more urban
way of life.
A
long-time champion of good architecture, Foster is interested in how good
design principles can address social needs. Her books are a
direct response to the growing unaffordability of housing in New Zealand’s
larger cities.
With
her belief in consuming the finite resources of Planet Earth responsibly, she
sees building smaller and smarter homes as an obvious step in the right
direction.Like the houses featured in Small House Living, Foster has put together a representative selection of intriguing apartments which all have an interesting aesthetic and are admirable examples of their type.
As
well as high-rise apartments, Foster’s selection features multi-level
warehouse conversions, renovations of older character structures, makeovers of
‘sausage’ flats, multi-unit dwellings, purpose-built apartment buildings and
office conversions.
Converting
and repurposing commercial spaces not originally intended for residential
living is not without its challenges. Navigating resource consent can be a
complex and frustrating process and Foster also covers this in her book. The
general consensus seems to be that even in cases requiring the most
laborious paper work, the result was worth the red-tape headache for these
happy apartment denizens.
While
apartments are an increasingly popular choice for many people, high-density
living is radically different to the typical leafy suburban lifestyle.
Foster wraps up her book with an informative chapter that directly deals with
this. She runs through the various factors that she suggests people consider
before making the move; covering considerations both emotional and practical.
About Catherine Foster:
Catherine Foster is a freelance
writer with a specific interest in home design. She has been a regular
contributor of articles to leading New Zealand home magazines, including Your Home & Garden, HOME New Zealand and NZ House and Garden.
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