Auckland has a significant and well publicised shortage of affordable housing stock for sale and rent. Clarke Group Limited, identified this need in 2012 and since that time, has developed 11 residential rental complexes totalling some 500 studio bedrooms.

57 Henderson Valley Road, Auckland is one such development, a large affordable housing development of 18 unit titles, each comprising of a generous sized apartment, containing four studio style ensuite bedrooms, all set in a secured and landscaped environment.

Project Architectural Designer, Sunil Bakshi of Resolution Design says that 57 Henderson Valley Road is a very unique site, surrounded on one side of the site by industrial buildings and another by residential standalone houses in an otherwise urban centre. “The design came together with three buildings centred around an internal private park space. On this particular site, we could go to three stories and be able to take advantage of the landscape — to be part of the city while also looking over it,” Bakshi says.

As well as the scale of construction, Bakshi says that long-term maintenance of the site was a critical consideration and Dynex PALLISIDE was selected for the weatherboards. “Traditional architectural features played an important role, and that led us down the path of choosing materials that would last, and achieve the balance between a traditional look and a modern approach to architecture."

“Once you're looking at buildings that are 60-70 metres wide, 30-40 metres long, three storeys minimum, you really do have to consider what's going to achieve a residential finish, so the end user feels comfortable in the space, as well as building longevity," he says.

 “What's fascinating about uPVC PALLISIDE is it has that traditional weatherboard look and there's no painting work at all,” Bakshi says. “Once it's up, you can take down the scaffolding and it's done. And at this scale, that's a feature that, not just from a design point of view, but from our client's point of view, is a major winner, a huge benefit!” he said. 

Another consideration when selecting cladding materials was, how to achieve the end look while maintaining fire safety. From a compliance standpoint, 57 Henderson Valley Road faced the highest fire rating requirements that Bakshi had to achieve. “And we hit that,” he said.

Bakshi says that through a combination of considered design, engineering and material selection, the project achieved the highest rating of fire resistance, with PALLISIDE delivering the advantages of lightweight cladding, easy maintenance, and large profile sheets.

“Choosing the right materials is truly a commitment for the life of the building. Given that PALLISIDE is made locally, it's made for New Zealand conditions, it's going to maintain the look and finish it did at the start of the project.

“Due to the success we've had with PALLISIDE on a development of this scale, both aesthetically and through the architectural notions we are trying to achieve, we are using this product in a number of our other developments, and we're going to continue to use it on other projects. It's just a great product for a project of this nature,” Bakshi said.