As demand for medium-density housing continues to increase, Miles Construction’s proven track record in the successful delivery of multi-unit and community housing projects has seen the company chosen by CORT Community Housing to build two new housing developments in Auckland.
Christchurch-based Miles Construction opened in Auckland a little more than two years ago on the back of existing social housing contracts.
“There is a huge demand for that type of construction in Auckland, and here we’re aiming to be specialists in medium-density housing,” says Miles Construction Auckland manager Ben Travers.
“It’s great to be part of providing good homes for people who need them in Auckland.” In Christchurch, Miles Construction completes a fairly equal mix of residential and commercial projects.
“Because we have expertise in both residential and commercial construction, we have the skills to fit into that gap of three to four level multi-unit residential construction which requires a combination of residential and commercial attitudes and methodology.”
Miles Construction has worked closely with the Christchurch City Council, Housing New Zealand, Comcare Charitable Trust, and Accessible Housing, growing its expertise and understanding of social housing.
“We plan to replicate our Christchurch model in Auckland and develop our commercial work and private housing in the future, but for now we want to get our team set up properly and make sure we do medium-density housing right,” Ben says.
“We’ve now got 17 staff, the majority of which are originally Aucklanders. They understand the market up here and they have contacts in the Auckland market. We relied on our Christchurch team initially when we moved up here, now we have a full team based here and we’re building relationships with subcontractors and suppliers.”
For CORT Community Housing, Miles Construction is now building Glynnbrooke, which comprises eight one-bedroom and three two-bedroom units, including four accessible units on the ground floor. Miles Construction’s next CORT Community Housing project is a 19-apartment development in Takanini.
Glynnbrooke is a design and build project with the specific requirements of social housing projects in regards to safety, ease of maintenance, durability, insulation values, ventilation, moisture protection, and fire protection. “We are building homes for people who need them which is a nice additional benefit.”
On the Airfield Road project, Miles Construction has been engaged earlier and will be obtaining its resource consent.
“CORT now knows we have the expertise to do that. We are capable of completing a project from scratch, and we feel it is good to get contractors involved early.”
Ben says Miles Construction likes to get involved with its clients early on in the process, work with them as a team with an open book approach, build trust and create the opportunity for collaboration. “We feel we get better project outcomes from that, and continue to work with our clients longterm on that basis.”
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