Quarter-acre section study
Our client requested a feasibility study for the development of 4 units comprised of a ground floor plus 1 (GF+1) under a “build to rent” scheme in a quarter-acre section (1011 square-metre). This section has an existing single-family one-story dwelling from the 1970s.
Given the current demand for rent market in the Greater Wellington area and more precisely in Wainuiomata (3 bedroom house is a median rent of $580 to $550 per week while the rent for a 2-bedroom house is from $475 to $425 per week) this model will make the investment a 15 year ROI model.
The built form will comprise two duplexes with private open spaces of 50 square meters and a GFA of 140 square meters distributed in GF+1. The total GFA of the development will be 560 square-meter with a site coverage of 260 square-meter and a landscaped area of 380 square-meter.
No car parking will be provided under the new National Policy Statement on Urban Development NPS-UD. Councils will no longer be able to require developers to provide car parking through their district and city plans. The idea is to provide bike parking and general goods storage areas within the units.
The above building mass and bulk sketch show non-compliances with the recession plane built form rule (45 degrees from 2.5 m high) on the Western and Eastern boundaries according to the current District Plan. Although, it’s compliant with the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) included in the NPS-UD. The overshadowing effects compared with a compliant development will be minimal given the lot North to South orientation.
Shadowing diagrams (at this level of detail) will demonstrate that the shadowing effects on the neighbouring properties could be less than minor.
Urbanhub Aotearoa provided an Urban Design assessment against the “Medium Density Design Guide” and a context and shadowing diagram analysis to accompany the assessment of environmental effects.
Urbanhub Aotearoa specified a medium-quality range of materials according to best practice standards and applicable building codes and included solutions that maximised natural light and ventilation.
The design will contemplate “universal access features to future-proof the build. Specific universal access fittings might not be specified however the internal partitions (and floor thresholds) will be designed in a way to facilitate future adaptation of the space to be accessible.