Murphy’s Road, Auckland

Brief
Create a masterplan for the Murphy’s Road development that works with and around the constraints of the steep, oddly shaped site. Provide the best possible commercial outcome by designing for the maximised views and integrating the built forms into the surrounding native landscape.

Landscape design delivers natural contours of challenging site
Encompassing 120 homes carefully designed for sale on the open market, Murphy’s Road development reflects the power and potential inherent in using topography to inform urban design and architecture.

Planned for an exceptionally steep and unusually shaped site, Murphy’s Road integrates the built forms into the existing environment and brings out the area’s natural contours in ways that benefit future residents. The lower pieces of the site — which collectively comprises two- and three-storey houses and terraces — enjoy peaceful views toward the neighbouring native bush, while the more elevated portions allow expansive vistas across the upper Otara Creek catchment to Redoubt Road Ridge or towards Flat Bush and beyond to the Hauraki Gulf and Auckland CBD.

Our urban design response acknowledges the existing landform and ecology whilst providing an ordered hierarchy of streets and lanes. Connection with the surrounding bush is reinforced by riparian planting, the use of native plant species to blur boundaries between the subdivision and forest edges, and maximised views from the houses.

To promote visual interest and provide a sense of identity, three-character zones exist within the development and are marked by distinctive building forms, materiality, and landscaping elements including fencing. The house designs capitalise on the site’s remarkable views and provide good solar access to private outdoor spaces while forming a clear edge to the streets.