Project overview

Hobsonville Point is a master-planned community situated on a peninsula of land extending into the Waitemata Harbour, approximately 11km north-west of central Auckland. The overall development site is approximately 167 hectares in area and will comprise more than 3,000 residential buildings of various types. The land has been divided into precincts.

The Buckley precinct forms the heart of the Hobsonville Point community. Universal Homes purchased land from the Hobsonville Land Company to commission a medium density terraced housing development within the Buckley precinct. The housing development, comprising Lot 21-25 and Lot 26-32 on Squadron Drive, uses a range of materials to create a varied streetscape in accordance with urban design standards specified in the Buckley Hobsonville Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).

The solution

Universal Homes and Construkt Architects specified James Hardie Linea Weatherboard and Titan Façade Panel for their design flexibility. Other key considerations were their low maintenance and ease of installation.

Sunil Prasad of Universal Homes says the design of the lots was driven largely by planning restrictions. Facades needed to be designed to include vertical and horizontal detailing, material variation, and other architectural elements for diversity.

The James Hardie products used are related but different, which has helped articulate the built interfaces on streetscapes better and allowed for a holistic, yet varied design for this housing development.

Linea Weathrboard provides deep shadow lines, giving the homes attractive traditional charm, while Titan Facade Panel creates an interesting expressed joint pattern, which gives the homes a unique panellised look. Highly durable, these advanced cement composite products weather well and won’t warp in the sun, so can be painted in darker shades. The products are also quick to install.

"Hobsonville Point is a high density area, and the narrow site combined with height requirements for this main street location necessitated a terraced typology," says Prasad. "Being lightweight, James Hardie products were well-suited to this application."

Linea Weatherboard also can achieve a fire resistance rating of up to 90 minutes, when use in a system, which make it suitable for use on external walls close to boundaries. "We are comfortable using James Hardie products, and the technical staff bend over backwards to help us by offering alternative solutions," Prasad adds.

Linea Weatherboard and Titan Façade Panel come with a 25 year warranty and 15 year warranty respectively, which provides additional peace of mind.