The residential tower's ambitious design plan will reshape the city's skyline, property developer says
A high-rise residential tower with an ambitious design plan has been approved for development in central Auckland, a Melbourne-based developer has announced.
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ICD Property has received the planning approval to construct the 183m, 55-level residential tower at 65 Federal St, which will include 357 residential apartments, a 1,000sqm ground-floor marketplace, and community space.
Matt Khoo, ICD Property managing director, said the tower was granted resource consent by an independent panel under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast Track Consenting) Act after an extensive consultation period between ICD Property, Auckland Council, and mana whenua to create a design the council was comfortable to support rather than being restricted by planning, Stuff reported.
The collaboration, Khoo said, ensured the tower would bring benefits for the city.
“The aspirational design, thinking, and consultation that went into the project is a blueprint for better urban design outcomes not only for New Zealand but buildings and communities globally,” Khoo told the news agency.
Khoo said the building design incorporated uniquely New Zealand key elements, which drew inspiration from a series of workshops where local iwi groups shared narratives about their history and people.
“The involvement of mana whenua was essential to ensure the design of the tower addresses iwi input in a genuine and respectful manner,” Khoo told Stuff. “We believe we have created an elegant and beautiful design that everyone will enjoy.”
He said the tower’s design, which surpassed traditional height restrictions and plot ratio guidelines, would reshape Auckland’s skyline, change the way people lived in the inner city, and play a key part in the redevelopment and revival of the Federal Street precinct, Stuff reported.
The building also has a 29:1 plot ratio (the total floor area of a building compared to the area of its site) which was significantly greater than the traditional 13:1 ratio on inner city sites, maximising the potential of the site, Khoo said.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff welcomed the innovative approach to the building’s design.
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“It will be a landmark for the city,” Goff said. “It is a huge investment, which is a statement of investor confidence in Auckland. It will provide hundreds of jobs during and beyond construction.”
The tower, which was designed by global architecture and design studio Woods Bagot in partnership with New Zealand firm Peddlethorp, will begin construction in March 2024 and will be completed in mid-2027, Stuff reported.
