It’s big, it’s white, it hovers above the landscape.
It's not a plane, not a spaceship, but a totally futuristic building by renowned architect Ron Sang.
The multi-level house in St Heliers being marketed by Nicholas Dyllan and Michael Boulgaris of Michael Boulgaris Realty spreads over 400 square metres over three striking floors. The house encapsulates space-age future: floor-to-ceiling glass, glossy white stone floors that bounce the light around, a glass and stainless steel staircase that seems to hover in the space.
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While it doesn’t have the Sang signature six or seven metre tall front door, the entrance to the rough cast house sets up a rhythm of grids and curves: glass brick, a curved glass entry podium, sweeps of steel, a grid-fronted garage and steel gate that repeats the motifs. The future-looking house was designed 20 years ago for an exacting German owner, so the vendors point to construction that was very advanced at the time for New Zealand, including imported materials not available in the country at the time.
The architect is known for pushing boundaries. He has been designing for over 50 years, also managing to create a parallel career around the art world, publishing highly regarded art books, on top New Zealand artists and selling one of the country’s best known art collections four years ago. His enduring legacy is the 1976 house he designed for photographer Brian Brake in Titirangi which won the NZ Institute of Architects Enduring Architecture award in 2001 and is recognised by its heritage listing as one of the top 20 modern buildings in the country.
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There’s more futuristic design going up in the central city, where the Pacifica is stretching skyward. Melbourne-based developers Hengyi Pacific developed 282 apartments in Commerce Street with twists of glass wrapping the building with jewel-like materials and colours. The 57 level tower is over 178 metres tall, and includes a boutique hotel, luxury amenities like lap pool, steam room and sauna, media room, residents’ lounge and library.
The futuristic penthouse apartment made the new when it set records for asking price: a cool $35 million for the dizzying top floor. But Les Adcock and Jillie Clarke from CBRE Residential are also marketing an 18th floor 1 bedroom apartment with expansive deck for a more modest $746,000.
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And up the hill on Princes Street, The International is wrapped in an even more space-age frame: a white exo-skeleton that recalls interplanetary docking stations.
NZ Sotheby’s International realty agent Ross Hawkins is marketing an 11th floor two bedroom apartment for enquiries over $2.895 million. The 178 sq m apartment has 43 sq m conservatory – the space-age version of a garden in the sky, with floor to ceiling glass walls that open to connect with the clouds. A one bedroom apartment goes from $1.12 million, while the penthouse on levels 53 and 54 went for a reported $15 million.
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Michael Boulgaris and Karen Moore have another back to the future house, this one designed by Cook Sargisson and Pirie. The enormous 630 sq m house wraps around a double height atrium overlooking the pool, there’s a giant front door, floating glass and steel stairs and a Jetsons-worthy light sculpture in the lobby. And naturally for the future, there’s a home theatre with 120 inch projection screen, sophisticated lighting and electronics.
