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JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.
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A Model of Sustainability
Front Elevation
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Rear Facade From Inner Courtyard
Private Outdoor Living Area
Building Entry
Indoor Living Space
Glass Detail on Front Facade
Exterior Detail
Temperature-Regulating Pool
Plan
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The recently completed Trinity
Apartments in Auckland occupy an
important corner site opposite the
Holy Trinity Cathedral and adjacent to
the busy retail heart of Parnell. They
are a model of sustainable, medium-
density residential development.
The 32 apartments are arranged
over six levels in an L-shaped form
that provides a continuous street
edge whilst protecting an extensive
landscaped courtyard and garden. A
lap pool and reflection pond provides
evaporative cooling that moderates
the temperatures around the building.
The high thermal mass of the building
itself, (insitu and pre-cast concrete
elements, concrete block work and
exposed aggregate panels), also
contributes to minimising temperature
fluctuations within apartments and to
delaying and reducing solar heat gain.
Every apartment includes a private
outdoor living area and is designed to
maximise natural ventilation and day
lighting. The deep verandahs offer a
buffer between the interiors and the
street edge; connecting them with
the surrounding environment while
providing protection from the elements.
A variety of louvres and sunshades;
timber shutters to internal courtyards
and external sun filter blinds to
balcony edges, can be operated by
the residents to adjust the amount
of sunlight and privacy as desired.
Project Details
Client: McConnell International Property Ltd.
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Approx.Value: $17M
Floor Area: 8700m2
Completed: May 2005
Contact:
patrick.clifford@architectus.co.nz
Awards
NZIA - Resene Local Award for
Architecture 2005
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We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.
provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.
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