81 Carlton Gore Road was once the headquarters of New Zealand insurer Fidelity Life and was widely known as “Fidelity House”. Recently, celebrated local developer Lamont & Co, winner of numerous awards, decided on a bold transformation of this highly valuable site: turning the once-grand commercial building into high-quality residential apartments offering an exceptional lifestyle, named “The Domain Collection”.
The luxury apartment project is being designed by renowned New Zealand architecture practice Warren and Mahoney. Founded in 1955, it is among the few architectural practices now in their third generation. Over the past several decades, it has designed notable buildings including Christ Church Cathedral in Christchurch, the University of Waikato's marae and multipurpose building in Hamilton, and One Queen Street, the Mercury building and TVNZ in Auckland.
Leading The Domain Collection project is Warren and Mahoney principal architect Peta Nichols, who has extensive international experience in mixed-use commercial, residential and hotel projects. Peta's career, together with her experiences of living in Auckland, Sydney and London, has inspired her passion for exploring the design of exceptional living spaces.
YIJU New Zealand spoke exclusively with Peta Nichols. Through the design philosophy behind a project（The Domain Collection), we get to know an architect whose work has soul.
YIJU: The Domain Collection— what inspired the design, and what is its guiding philosophy?
Peta：Our inspiration for this apartment project came from Auckland's oldest park, Auckland Domain (Auckland Domain Park). Our project occupies an exceptional position directly opposite the Domain. Our design goal was to integrate the apartments seamlessly with the park, allowing residents to relax in comfort at home while feeling as though they were in a park beneath a sheltering canopy of green. Ultimately, our large glazed windows and potted plants on generously sized balconies helped us achieve both.
YIJU: What unique living experience will The Domain Collection offer residents?
Peta：The Domain Collection residents will enjoy a distinctive lifestyle that extends beyond their connection with the Domain. They will also benefit from convenient transport and proximity to Newmarket's shopping precinct and restaurants in the upmarket neighbourhood of Parnell. They can enjoy a modern urban lifestyle alongside the ease of being immersed in nature in the Domain. It is a rare and precious living experience.
YIJU: How does it differ from other apartment developments?
Peta：For our team, leading the design and construction of a project on the Domain's doorstep is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The superb park views and a location where no other building can ever obstruct them offer an unparalleled opportunity to live within the landscape.
YIJU: Which part of the design is your favourite, or makes you proudest?
Peta：Our design considers both the liveability of the apartments and their external surroundings. We are proudest of the richness of its layers, evident in everything from the building's connection with the Domain and the surrounding landscaping to the access corridors and the entrances to individual homes. The design follows a consistent thread inside and out, with nothing feeling out of place.
YIJU: What was the most challenging part of designing this project?
Peta：The most challenging element was designing the “Secret Garden”, a landscaped space above the ground-level car park that cleverly links the Park Residences and Garden Residences apartment buildings. We carefully considered the dimensions and area of the entire landscaped space, ensuring the plants would have enough soil to thrive while an effective waterproofing system kept the car park beneath the Secret Garden dry.
YIJU: What makes this project luxurious compared with similar apartment developments?
Peta：For the design and client sales teams, this may be a luxury apartment development unlike anything seen in Auckland's market for many years. Its apartments are substantially larger than typical apartments available on the market, and the designers have made the balconies as spacious and usable as possible. The Park Residences also feature exceptionally high ceilings of 2.9 m, something not found in ordinary apartments.
YIJU: What is the most appealing aspect of this project?
Peta：I think its greatest appeal is the overall experience. From the views of the Domain to the appearance of the apartments, then the internal lobby, the adjoining Secret Garden and finally each home's entrance, residents experience a harmonious consistency from outside to inside. Spatial coherence feels more comfortable than a collection of disjointed design details.
YIJU: What types of residents is The Domain Collection suited to?
Peta：Our apartments are designed for residents of different backgrounds and ages. The development offers a variety of layouts, providing considerable flexibility for different needs. For example, we have smaller and larger one-bedroom apartments, as well as options ranging from smaller and larger two-bedroom apartments to three- and four-bedroom homes.
Through our conversation with Peta Nichols, we gained a clearer understanding of The Domain Collection and a deeper appreciation of her design philosophy of integration with nature. We look forward to the project's completion so we can experience her design in person. Engaging with her work is a meeting of souls.