In Proud Contrast – Jervois Apartments by Monk Mackenzie, Artifact Property and Amelia Holmes

Featuring dark masonry walls and an undulating black metal screen across the street-facing façade, Jervois Apartments by Monk Mackenzie, Artifact Property and Amelia Holmes is a bold architectural expression that stands in proud contrast to the weatherboard homes of the Herne Bay area. Partially shielded by mature plane trees lining the street and thoughtfully conceived to speak back to its context, this building is a considerate addition to the local vernacular.

Across five storeys, there is a mix of apartments and one penthouse suite. Each apartment runs the length of the building from north to south, punctuated by what architects Hamish Monk and Dean Mackenzie describe as “pocket gardens”, which bring natural light and connection to nature deep into the plan. “There’s a lot of program on a very small site,” Hamish says. “Architecturally, the challenge was to not display all that complexity but to make it look relatively distilled and simple as a gesture.” The prominent, south-facing screen was crucial in achieving a simplified form and creating an effortless dialogue with the streetscape. As Dean says, “if you articulate all of the individual rooms then it becomes quite fussy and cluttered as an architectural expression.” He adds, “the screen gives us another layer – a filter – to quieten down the building.”

Sophie Wylie of Artifact Property oversaw the planning of the interiors alongside the project’s interior designer, Amelia Holmes. With an architectural background and a deep understanding of the project’s intent, Sophie was uniquely placed to conceive these spaces. As Artifact Property’s Co-Founder Liam Joyce says, “Sophie, being a designer herself, has been able to work with the purchasers the whole way through, and they’ve been able to customise the spaces to suit their own needs.” He adds, “I think that provides a real differentiation to other large-scale projects, which are often homogenous to a certain extent and don’t afford that close interaction between designer, developer and purchaser.”

The bedrooms are located at the southern end of the building, whilst the shared spaces sit at the northern end. As Hamish says, “one of the challenges of having bedrooms to the street is the interface between the public domain and the need for a private space.” Adding, “the screen helps us to deal with that as there are varying degrees of transparency and opacity depending on where you view it from.” The sinuous screen expands and contracts, creating volume between the internal spaces and the building’s façade. This design references traditional bay windows, which typically punctuate flat elevations and create additional pockets of space. “It’s not a full balcony as we have on the northern side, but it’s a space you can stand in when you open the doors and look up and down the street.” Dean says. “It creates some depth to the elevation, which becomes a point of interest from the interior but also offers something quite sculptural and unique to the street.”

At the northern end of the building, the living areas unfurl to the views of the Waitākere Ranges and Waitematā Harbour and take advantage of the enviable orientation. The open plan kitchen, living and dining area flows onto an enclosed, north-facing deck, effortlessly extending the internal experience. Termed “the wintergarden”, it features frameless, operable glass doors, which can be opened or closed depending on the weather, creating a trans-seasonal outdoor room that enlarges the usable space of each apartment.

As Sophie explains, many of Jervois’s residents have come from larger, detached homes with generous kitchens. Thus, offering this same level of amenity within an apartment typology was crucial. A large, marble- clad island bench anchors the space and creates delineation between the kitchen and living areas. It also directs the functions of the kitchen; one end is designed for cooking and food preparation and the other – which includes the Fisher & Paykel Integrated Column Wine Cabinet – is intended for effortless entertaining. “The wine fridge is a great feature that allows the residents to entertain and show off their wine. It’s a dual wine fridge, so they can store the reds as well as cooling the whites and sparkling wine, which is pretty unique,” Sophie says.

Alongside entertaining capabilities, the kitchen has been designed with ergonomics front of mind. There are Fisher & Paykel single DishDrawers on either side of the sink, creating easy access and a simplified pattern of use, as well as two 60cm Ovens. “Generally, I think the trend is moving towards more wall-mounted ovens,” Sophie offers. “People like the fact they don’t need to bend down. And, if we were going to put ovens on walls, we wanted them to be very minimal and contemporary looking. That’s where the Fisher & Paykel ovens are so perfect – they offer a sophisticated glass front with minimal buttons or colour, so they work well here, reflecting the view from within the dark cabinetry.” Completing the extensive selection, the kitchens also feature a Fisher & Paykel 90cm Induction Cooktop and an Integrated Insert Rangehood in black glass and stainless steel.

Throughout the apartments, a rich material palette gives way to warm and inviting spaces. Natural stone, natural oak and dark brass elements neatly reflect the ambition for a refined minimalism, and expansive views to the harbour heighten the experience. Textural, natural slate – selected for its durability and strength – covers all the horizontal surfaces in the kitchen, whilst the vertical surfaces are a combination of delicate ocean-grey marble and dark stained timber cabinetry. This holistic consideration for detail extends to the laundry too, where the Fisher & Paykel Front Loader Washing Machine and Heat Pump Dryer in a graphite finish sit behind cream coloured cabinetry. “It’s a nice contrast when you open the doors,” says Sophie. “But otherwise, it’s just a clean and simple approach.”

Monk Mackenzie, Artifact Property and Amelia Holmes’s shared pursuit for simplicity and longevity is distilled in Jervois Apartments. They have thoughtfully addressed each element in relation to the others resulting in intricately designed yet effortless homes that belie their necessary complexities. As Liam offers, “the architecture is about contributing in a positive way to the built environment, and for us, that’s providing something that’s simple and elegant and ages really well.”