The Importance of Terraced Housing in a Growing Metropolitan Landscape

Councils around New Zealand are grappling with issues such as housing shortfall, housing affordability, and congestion woes. Therefore, transitioning to a more compact urban form of living is seen as a method to address issues of housing affordability and housing choice. Compact living will also promote the creation of vibrant centres, healthier communities and more efficient infrastructure provision.

From the perspective of architectural designers such as Gubb Design, a key factor in this transition is improving the quality of house design. Auckland, and numerous other cities in New Zealand recognise that the design of individual dwellings, and larger housing developments become much more important as the density increases. The quality of design is not only important for those living in higher density housing developments, but also for their neighbours and surrounding community.

As Auckland moves slowly towards a medium-density city, architects like Gubb Design will be developing more terraced housing structures to accommodate the growing need. So, whether you are developing rental property to sell or rent out, invest in designers who understand the need to satisfy the interest of a growing public. Gubb Design will do this by using contemporary designs and materials that suit a neighbourhood’s architecture, with consideration to the aesthetic of the market you are targeting.

Due to the smaller site size of these properties, it is important that terraced housing is well designed to avoid access and privacy conflicts. If done well, terraced housing can play perfectly into the atmosphere of a neighbourhood and be a cheap alternative to living in detached housing.

All Auckland housing development and management falls under the Auckland Unitary Plan, which determines how different zones are used. The Terraced House and Apartment Building zone make up one of the four zones for residential use. This ‘high-intensity zone’ tends to focus on metropolitan areas of Auckland such as town centres, and areas close to public transport. Because it is a ‘high-intensity zone’, this plan encourages the building of apartments and terraced housing within these areas as a development typology.

Gubb Design specialise in all facets of residential homes; including new builds, renovation and sub-division developments. They also have experience in commercial, educational, retail and industrial design projects, including of course terraced housing.

In light of the current COVID-19 situation, Gubb Design is still continuing to work remotely for their clients to the best of their abilities. For more information on terraced housing and other related renovation projects contact them at https://www.gubbdesign.co.nz/contact