Residential Road in St. Helier: Parkinson Drive
In the heart of Auckland, New Zealand, a new development on Parkinson Drive has caught the attention of architects and homeowners alike. The three new houses, built by the Jersey Homes Trust, have won the 2019 Jersey Design Awards in the category "Best Large-Scale Development."
The houses are designed to blend seamlessly with the neighbourhood, offering a modern re-interpretation of the typical, modest houses found in the area. The houses are rendered and painted, with clean, crisp white render and natural slate roofs, creating a harmonious addition to the neighbourhood.
One of the standout features of the houses is their orientation. Each house is stepped up the incline, embedded into the contours, to take advantage of the level differences and achieve optimal views and solar orientation. The houses are designed to welcome morning and afternoon sun into principal rooms, while minimizing traffic noise and pollution.
The design of the houses also reflects modern preoccupations with inside-outside patterns of living. Fenestration is consistent with proportions of traditional houses, creating a balance between openness and privacy. South facing windows are generally shielded to prevent excessive solar gain and overheating in summer, ensuring a comfortable living environment all year round.
The site of Parkinson Drive is a steep slope, falling from a high point in the north to a low point in the southern-most part. A deep recess is created at the entrance to give shelter at the front door, providing a warm and inviting welcome. The site offered possibilities to improve internal conditions and to introduce an architectural conversation and rapport with the existing buildings on site.
The pedestrian route to nearby facilities and bus stops, and the approach to the front doors of all the houses, is overlooked by kitchen windows of the three new houses. This design feature not only enhances safety but also fosters a sense of community, as neighbours can easily keep an eye on each other.
The houses are also designed with a minimum external envelope, are well insulated, and require minimum energy for heating. Windows are draught-sealed and double-glazed, openable for ventilation and cleaning. The new houses on Parkinson Drive are a testament to sustainable design, limiting carbon emissions by using materials selected for robustness, longevity, and low embodied energy.
The former "estate road" becomes a "place" in its own right, and once the new houses form a sense of enclosure, it takes on the status of "street." Parkinson Drive is located in the Built-up Area of the Island Plan, extending west beyond St Helier along the south coast.
The new houses on Parkinson Drive were highly commended at the 2019 Jersey Design Awards, recognizing their significant contribution to sustainable and community-focused design in Auckland. The development serves as a model for future housing projects, demonstrating that it is possible to create beautiful, functional, and environmentally friendly homes.
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