The Wynyard Quarter regeneration has been over a decade in the making, with developers Willis Bond winning a bid with Panuku (at the time, called Waterfront Auckland) to create five medium-density, mixed-use sites across the waterfront area. The first stage of the third site, 30 Madden, has been designed by Studio Pacific Architecture and is ready for tenants just in time for the America’s Cup.

The first two developments comprise 132 Halsey, an Athfield Architects-designed apartment building which recently won Best in Category for Multi-Unit Residential at the New Zealand Property Council awards, and Wynyard Central – an Architectus project that took home the NZIA Sir Ian Athfield Award for housing in 2019. The new 30 Madden will be made up of two stages with a communal courtyard in the centre. The first stage consists of 84 apartments and six townhouses, 95 per cent of which are now sold.

The original construction of stage one of 30 Madden was set to take 24 months, however, the COVID-19 lockdowns that 2020 brought delayed that slightly – only about four weeks total. Apartments are configured in a number of different ways from one-room studios to penthouses. Buyers were given the option of three interior palettes, also created by the Studio Pacific team, with the ability to mix and match finishes and materials. “It’s quite a testament to Studio Pacific’s interior design and selection because we’ve only had two or three people who’ve wanted different products that aren’t part of their material selection,” explains Willis Bond’s Megan Lockwood.

Unconditional buyers are given access to an app where they can try out different combinations of finishes in their kitchens and bathrooms on real renders. It is also where all of the contractual side of the agreement is handled, including purchasing upgraded appliances and et cetera. A schedule can then be printed with each apartment’s exact specifications, simplifying the project management.

Inside the standard apartments, space has been maximised with recessed lighting and built-in storage. Each one also features a 12 square metre balcony, some with harbour views and others overlooking the bustling laneways and public art of Wynyard Quarter. Elsewhere in the building you’ll find customised larger apartments and penthouses with their own lift entrances along with the six townhouses that line the communal courtyard. The interior courtyard offers a shared garden and an outdoor space for tenants with over 7000 native plants.

In an era where it is not uncommon to read horror stories of medium- and high-density apartments done in a slap-dash way and providing a poor return for buyers, 30 Madden offers what appears to be a design-driven, hard-wearing response. Lockwood notes that the relationship between architect, developer and contractor is tight and they all work together to deliver the final design. It follows all the rules you’d expect from a modern development in terms of sustainability, achieving a 7 Homestar rating.

30 Madden offers inner-city living at its finest. Spaces that feel larger than they are, community activation efforts, public green space at your doorstep and convenience to any amenity you could want. If this development is to follow in the footsteps of its similarly well-designed older siblings (132 Halsey and Wynyard Central), tenants are set for a comfortable and community-driven experience. And, perhaps a happy end-user is precisely what defines good architecture and planning.