Ockham’s latest residential masterpiece, The Greenhouse
This week I had the immense pleasure of opening Ockham’s latest residential masterpiece, The Greenhouse, a 10-storey pleasure to look at on Williamson Avenue right opposite Ponsonby Countdown.
This building is exactly the sort of response to the much needed city intensification that is how we want population growth to look like. It fits in with all the rules and brings residents into the centre of Ponsonby and all of its attractions – shops, bars, parks and services – all within walking distance. It is why my wife and I have lived nearby for the last 20 years.
We love the mix of commercial, residential and plain unusual and Mark Todd of Ockham and his hugely talented architect Tania Wong have made the most of the site using lovely glazed green bricks from near Venice in Italy. The building’s quality is superb.
In the morning before the opening, I spoke to a large audience of the city’s business leaders where Scott Pritchard, the CEO of Precinct Properties, who was responsible for the equally brilliant Commercial Bay, described what the city most needs and that is residents. With the Greenhouse, Ockham has delivered.
More residents in the city centre make use of the existing infrastructure, support more shops, reduce crime and is much preferred by council compared to remote greenfield developments like Drury that are just a cost to ratepayers as inevitably residents there will want all the things like trains, buses, pools and libraries that developers don’t provide.
Ponsonby is one of our earliest residential areas and this latest offering will age well in our favourite suburb.
Well done Ockham. (Wayne Brown, BE FIPENZ)
Mayor.Wayne.Brown@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
www.facebook.com/WayneBrown4Auckland
#ponsonbynews #iloveponsonby #ponsonby #auckland #aucklandshippestrip #onlyponsonby #ponsonbyroad #Greylynn #freemansbay #westmere #ponsonby #hernebay #stmarysbay #archhill #coxsbay #greenhouseponsonby #ockhamauckland #marktodd #waynebrown #aucklandmayor
Published: March 2024