Mixed height, building articulation, and careful tree retention enable a new retirement village to fit within its suburban context

Large brownfield sites in established urban neighbourhoods make desirable but also challenging propositions for new facilities to provide for the aging, predominantly local, population. Summerset faced these challenges in the re-development of this site in Half Moon Bay, in southeast Auckland.

Our landscape architects have a long history with the site. Our continuity with the project over some seven years provided valuable knowledge and understanding of the site and relevant consenting matters for Summerset.

The site occupies part of the ridgeline overlooking Half Moon Bay. Summerset saw the potential for a comprehensively designed retirement village offering the full suite of care and enabling people to age in place. The site adjoins suburban residential properties as well as a school and open space reserve, requiring sensitive design to avoid inappropriate adverse effects whilst enabling mid-rise apartment style development.

Location

Auckland

Worked with

Bentley & Co
Warren & Mahoney
McIndoe Urban
Russell McVeagh
Stantec
Riley Consultants

Project date

2019 - ongoing

Boffa Miskell landscape architects and urban designers worked closely with Summerset and as part of the wider design team to influence the overall development layout, height profile, building modulation, and planting strategy.

The masterplan works to retain key onsite vegetation to assist in ameliorating building height in respect of neighbours as well as using the built form within the village to sleeve and mitigate the potential impact of centralised mid-rise buildings.

The project was accepted for consenting via the Covid-19 Fast Track process and secured consent in May 2023. We prepared the landscape concept design and the written assessment of landscape and visual effects. Our landscape architects are now progressing developed design with the wider design team as the project progresses to building consent and construction.