Sentinel (building)
Encyclopedia
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in Takapuna
Takapuna
Takapuna is a central, coastal suburb of North Shore City, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitemata Harbour...
, the central business area of North Shore City, New Zealand. The largest and currently only real skyscraper in the city, it has 30 levels and is 150 m tall including spire. It offers sweeping views over the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
, the wider Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
as well as over to the Auckland CBD
Auckland CBD
The Auckland CBD is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland metropolitan area. Bounded by several major motorways and by the harbour coastline in the north, it is surrounded further out by mostly suburban areas...
skyline. The Sentinel was opened to the first residents in February 2008.
The building contains 117 luxury apartments, with the uppermost two levels forming a massive 675 m² penthouse, which has recently (2007) sold for NZ$ 11 million. A communal area on level four includes a 25 m x 6 m heated swimming pool and spa, sauna and gym facilities as well as landscaped areas.
The building contains a number of motifs, from the square (used extensively in the glass facade proportions and in smaller details), to a woven flax basket (hinted at in the latticework of the facade) to the spire atop the building which evokes a sail, especially from further away across the Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
.
The Sentinel was built by Multiplex Constructions
Multiplex (company)
Brookfield Multiplex is a global contracting and development company that designs, builds and maintains property and infrastructure assets.- History :Brookfield Multiplex was founded as Multiplex in 1962 in Perth, Western Australia by John Roberts...
for NZ$60 millionand was given a non-notified consent by North Shore City Council because the idea of having a landmark building in Takapuna was considered very favourably when the developer Cornerstone Group first proposed it in 2003. The developer has also noted that the consenting regulations have since become onerous to a degree that he would not build the building again under current rules.
External links
- The Sentinel (official building website)