Seafield Apartments

The clients were aware that the original building was designed by Vladimir Cacala of Cacala & Leu Architects in 1963. However over the intervening years, various alterations where made to the exterior balconies, including closing in over 50% of the balconies in a piece-meal approach using light-weight residential aluminium joinery. The building was given an exterior make-over with a “Post-modern” approach during the 90’s which has dated very quickly, without addressing the failing balcony joinery and roof replacement.

Xsite Architects, lead by Malcolm Taylor and assisted by Duane Coad, worked closely and intensely with building committee on detail up drawings for both resource consent and building consent approvals and finally address the exterior colour scheme with the driver to refer back to the original clean lines and Mondrian inspired colours of the 1960’s Modernist movement.

Our initial research for the colour scheme to fit the above brief took us to view the work of NZ modernist artist Milan Mrkusich. His use of colour in abstracted geometry was a great inspiration for us and quickly won over the building committee.

With further site specific investigation into the existing colours used by the seaside residences and local coastal flora, Pohutakawa, Hibiscus and the like, we developed a few versions to achieve an acceptable yet exciting colour scheme for the body corporate.