Redefining Sustainable Housing at Grey’s Avenue

Grey’s Avenue (Te Mātāwai), a $300M Kāinga Ora redevelopment project in Auckland, is a landmark in sustainable urban design. The project transformed an aging building into three new structures featuring 276 apartments and ground-floor commercial spaces.

At a glance

Entrance of a modern building with dark panels and a wooden lattice awning, labeled "Te Mātāwai." Glass doors and a tree reflection are visible.

Address

139 Grey’s Avenue, Auckland NZ

Type of project

Residential New Build, High Rise, Social Housing, Commercial

Number of storeys

2 buildings have 13, 1 building has 8 storeys

Basement

1 floor

Status of project

Completed in June 2023

Client

Kāinga Ora

Project value

$300m

Oculus rep

Shawn McIsaac, shawn@oculusltd.co.nz / 022 021 9960

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The vision and our role‍

Oculus was engaged early in the project to design high-performing building envelope solutions that help achieve ambitious thermal performance requirements while ensuring compliance with evolving building codes. In addition to designing innovative façade systems, Oculus closely monitored the construction process to ensure the building was executed according to the design. Furthermore, Oculus took responsibility for signing off on both PS1 and PS4, providing confidence in the project’s compliance and quality.

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Results and achievements‍

This redevelopment stands out as one of the first large scale sustainable housing developments in Australasia to incorporate externally insulated rainscreen wall systems, thermally broken windows, and heat recovery ventilation systems - elements that were groundbreaking at the time and set new benchmarks for energy efficiency and comfort. These design principles improve energy efficiency, reduce heating and cooling costs, and set a new benchmark for climate-resilient housing in New Zealand.

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Teamwork in action

Oculus collaborated with leading architects and engineers to develop a fire-compliant facade system that adhered to evolving New Zealand building code updates, including restrictions on combustible claddings and the Healthy Homes Guarantee Act By designing façade systems that allowed for competitive tendering without relying on proprietary systems, we provided the team with flexibility, cost efficiency, and robust performance.

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