Fabric Apartments - Stage 1

This industrial site is located in the heart of the Onehunga community. The developer wanted to create apartments that integrate authentically into the community, the vision was to create a neighbourhood within a neighbourhood. Creating something of a ‘pocket neighbourhood’ where apartment living meets shared green spaces.

A key challenge was to secure a contractor that provided a construction cost that satisfied the budget criteria for the development, and delivered the outcome our client expects. We understood that the workload being experienced by contractors in the current market was very high and due to the buoyancy of the construction industry, the main focus for us was to ensure that the contractor provided a level of service that would meet our client’s needs. 

Greenstone was instrumental in identifying that the incumbent design and build contractor (as preselected by the client) was not going to achieve the budget and time frames required by the developer. We utilised our market knowledge and relationships to smoothly transition out the incumbent contractor and re-establish a new construction company into a design and build contract, whilst at the same time ensuring the design and consent programme was maintained throughout.

A key challenge for this project was the fractured rock ground conditions which placed a design constraint on the site, rendering piling options economically unviable. Significant time was then spent analysing lightweight and hybrid building structure options from CLT to lightweight traditional timber construction. Ultimately a hybrid concrete and steel structure with a lightweight timber top floor construction was developed that helped the project to achieve a durable yet cost efficient solution.

Greenstone identified that the design, waterproofing and construction sequence of the podium deck was a key area of risk to the project and ensured robust solutions and risk mitigation factors were put in place whilst ensuring budget controls were observed. There are places where you need to spend what’s necessary to achieve the right long term outcomes.

The design and client's team’s confidence in Greenstone's project team contributes significantly to the timely, high quality outcomes on high density projects like Fabric. Experience and knowledge cannot be underestimated. It allows design teams to have the confidence to fully commit to a delivery process and resource appropriately. 

Greenstone’s upfront work on this project allowed for a robust and pre-planned delivery programme to be incorporated into the design and consent programme thus ensuring no unforeseen technical issues were hindered in the delivery and settlement phases of the project. The result is award-winning apartments with contemporary finishes, clever storage, and spacious interiors with maximised natural light.